ABOUT THE ROTARY CLUB OF MT LAWLEY
TODAY
Our club is diverse in gender, culture and abilities. Our time is spent between working on projects, fundraising and social activities. We are also currently involved in joint projects with the Rotary Clubs of Karrinyup, Cambridge and Surabaya in Indonesia.
THE EARLY DAYS
The Rotary Club of Mt Lawley was founded in 1949. The District Governor at the time, Dr Gordon Hislop MLC, entrusted the formation of the club to the existing Rotary Club of Perth. The first meeting was held at the "Tannerville" At that time and membership fees were set at £6/6/- per member!
One of the founding members of the club, Charles Cornish, has a trust award in his name to this day.
In the club's formative years, the committees undertook small projects, mostly in conjunction with established clubs, and gained valuable experience and information.
Some of the club's early projects included:
- Building a children's playground
- Holding a "Courtesy Week", where each day a driver was selected for his efficiency and courtesy and awarded a prize of a cheque for £1/1/-
- Transporting crippled children
- Providing cots to a hospital in Ceylon
Important historical dates for the Rotary Club of Mount Lawley are as follows:
- The RCML Inaugural Meeting was held on April 29th, 1949.
- At that meeting it was decided that the First Club meeting would be held on May 13th, 1949.
- The First Meeting of the Board of Directors was held on May 17th, 1949.
- The first meeting to which Members Partners were invited, was held on June 3rd, 1949
- The Club Charter was approved on June 28th, 1949.
- The MLRC Charter night was then booked for August 29th, 1949.
- In excess of 200 Rotarians (including Partners) from throughout the Rotary District 33 attended.
Club Fees were as follows:
- Club Charter: One Pound, One Shilling
- Entrance Fee: Three Pounds, Three Shillings
- Half Yearly Subscription: Two Pound, Two Shillings
At that time, the MLRC met for lunch on Tuesdays at TANNERVILLE Function Centre:
- The Club President was Fred A. Johnston who donated two flags to the Club.
- A photo of King George V was donated by Sam Glance.
- A lectern & pedestal were donated by Jack Hawkins.
The Board consisted of:
- Vice President: Rev. Lyall Dixon
- Secretary: Jack Penn
- Treasurer: Ron Grant
- Directors: Club Service (Tom Corney), Vocational Service (Bert Fisher), Community Service (Harry Shearn) & International Service (Jack Hawkins) & Sergeant At Arms (Sam Glance)
On May 17th, 1950 the MLR Club became a 100% Financial Rotary Foundation Club with a total membership of 24 (22 of those being Foundation members)
