The history of the club covering the years 1950 – 1980 has been drawn primarily from documents created by Club Historian PP Harold Haworth. The history post 1980 has been compiled has been drawn from the publication ‘We’ve done some silly things…’ written by PP Annona Pearse and Walter Pearson in commemoration of the Club’s 50th Anniversary.
In the beginning:
(As written by PP Harold Haworth, Club Historian, 1971)
The genesis of the Rotary Club of Woy Woy occurred in March 1950, when Cec Scott, the then president of the Rotary Club of Gosford, with the support of his members decided to sponsor the new club.
Accordingly, in company with Tom Arkins, vice-president of Gosford club, Cec discussed the proposal with the then proprietor of Ettalong Service Station, Bruce Hanks.
Bruce’s response to the proposal was both spontaneous and enthusiastic, and it was not long before he discussed the matter firstly with Allan Murdock, the then manager of Woy Woy branch of the Commercial Bank of Australia, and a former Rotarian of Katoomba Club, and secondly with Mark Harris, radio dealer at that time in Woy Woy, and Bruce Phillips, real estate agent at Ettalong.
On March 22, 1950, a meeting was held at the home of Bruce Hanks at which the names of 22 members were submitted, and it was decided that Cec Scott be advised they were willing to form the nucleus of the Rotary Club of Woy Woy.
Events moved rapidly from that point on:
11 April 1950: 23 prospective members met in the Mission Hall, Blackwall Road, Woy Woy, where, after much discussion, it was resolved “that a Rotary Club be formed at Woy Woy and be known as the Rotary Club of Woy Woy”. Bruce Hanks was elected President of the new club.
Amongst other decisions the club agreed to meet each Tuesday night at the Mission Hall, with Fellowship commencing at 6.15 and dinner at 6.30.
The provisional club’s first community service was a donation of £10 to the Parramatta-Rosehill branch of the Crippled Children’s Association, the first of many donations to be made to assist worthy causes.
29 July 1950: The club received its Charter from the hands of District Governor Ollie Oberg.
Because no hall large enough was available for this memorable night a large marquee was hired and with help of one paid overseer, the members erected it on the site of the old Woy Woy bowling green. One hundred and seventy-seven Rotarians from 26 clubs attended and with the ladies and other guests brought the total attendance to 302.
With the Club Charter in hand, Club members embarked on a very busy inaugural year, including:
- Entertainment of new Australians; assistance given to them to find suitable employment, and generally to help with their assimilation into our society.
- Books collected and donated to Gosford Shire Library and Woy Woy Primary School.
- Housing of a destitute family.
- Financial assistance to a destitute family following a fire.
- To enable the Woy Woy Primary School to stage a concert on November 30, 1951. arrangements were made to bring a marquee from Sydney capable of seating 1,000 persons. This was eventually erected and the club constructed the stage and curtains and also provided the lighting and seating as well as selling refreshments. It would appear from records that this project was organised in the latter part of the Club’s first year and completed in the first month of the next.
The first change-over night took place on November 13, with Ollie Oberg as the guest speaker.
See also
Club History – 1951-60
To be Continued….
