What is the Association of Past Rotarians?
It is an Association of Clubs of former Rotarians and individual former Rotarians. The first Club was started by the Rotary Club of Bournemouth in 1948. The Rotary Club had a strict rule to limit the number of "past service members" as it feared its age profile would grow alarmingly as more and more people retired to the seaside. Across the United Kingdom there are now 25 Clubs, many of which were started by Rotary Clubs, with a membership of around 400. The Association was formed in 1960 and acts as a link between Clubs. It encourages visits between Clubs, some of which have formed themselves into Area Fellowships. The Association publishes a quarterly newsletter, "Proclaim", for all members.
What are the aims of the Association?
The motto of the Association is "In Fellowship We Serve". The aims of a Club are: -
- Continue its adherence to the fundamental principles and objects of Rotary
- Encourage and foster friendship and fellowship within the Club as well as with other Clubs forming part of the Association of Past Rotarians and with Rotary Clubs in its immediate vicinity
- Serve the community, particularly through charities operating locally
Who may join a Past Rotarians Club?
Any former Rotarian, who has left his Rotary Club in good standing, wishes to give service and continue the type of fellowship enjoyed in Rotary but is unable to give the full commitment in time and finance expected in Rotary. A Club may also invite a person who is not a former Rotarian but has the same ethics and standards as a member of a Rotary Club to join as a full member. If there is no Past Rotarians Club in the area, the Association has a section for individual members or help is given to those wishing to form a new Club (see "How do I form a new Club in my area?" below).
Why don’t Past Rotarians rejoin Rotary?
Some have done but, in spite of Rotary's relaxation of its rules, most members in Past Rotarians Clubs cannot make the total commitment in time or finance to be fully participating Rotarians.
Why should you become a Past Rotarian?
If you valued the fellowship and standards you enjoyed as a Rotarian and are now retired (being retired is NOT a condition for membership), Past Rotarians Clubs offer what has sometimes been described as "Rotary in the slow lane". While that is not entirely an accurate description, it is true that our Clubs:
- are composed mainly of former Rotarians (see “Who may Join” above)
- set great store by their Rotary roots
- value fellowship within their Clubs and with other Clubs
- have no minimum attendance requirement and low subscriptions
How does a Past Rotarians Club operate?
Former Rotarians seeking to join a Club will find that it has a format with which they will be familiar. After due process of application to join, there is an induction ceremony. New members are greeted by other Past Rotarians and introduced around the Club.
Each Club has a President, Secretary and Treasurer and a Club Council that acts on behalf of the members. There is a standard Club Constitution. But Clubs are autonomous and how a Club is run depends entirely on its members.
Clubs tend to meet monthly, occasionally fortnightly, for lunch or dinner with a member or a guest speaker giving an interesting talk on a wide-range of topics from local interests to worldwide adventures.
Clubs also organise outings - some even have short tours abroad - visits to other Clubs, bowls matches, golf tournaments, bridge afternoons, coffee mornings and a variety of other events to which wives, widows, members of neighbouring Clubs and friends can be invited.
Each Club has an annual general meeting and an election of officers. All members are entitled to stand for office. The Association itself has an Annual Conference in May each year with an annual general meeting where members gather for fellowship as much as for business. This year the Association's three-day Annual Conference was held at Bournemouth. Previous Conferences have been held at Oxford, Bournemouth, the Lake District, Torquay, Brigg and many other venues over the years.
How do members serve their Club?
As members are generally of retirement age, community service varies from Club to Club. Mostly our desire to give service to others is channelled into being supportive of fellow members who are ill and maintaining contact with widows of deceased members. In addition, Clubs raise money for local charities at their events give help at other charitable events, often organised by or in conjunction with, local Rotary Clubs.
Where are the Past Rotarian Clubs?
Most Clubs are in retirement areas such as Bournemouth, Cleethorpes and Exmouth with, as yet, only seven Clubs north of the Watford Gap. There are Clubs in Jersey and Guernsey. Clubs frequently arrange visits to neighbouring Clubs, some of which are grouped together in regional fellowships.
How much does it cost?
The annual subscription is typically £25 to £30 per annum, including £17.50 to cover the cost of running the Association.
How do I form a new club in my area?
Anyone wishing to form a Past Rotarians Club should first contact the Association Extension Officer.
In general terms, a minimum of ten members is advisable with prospects of fairly quickly going into the mid-teens. Three members will be required to serve as officers - President, Secretary and Treasurer. A letter circulated to known former Rotarians in the area is usually a great aid to recruitment. An advertisement in a local newspaper might help but personal knowledge and contact usually brings the best results. Inner Wheel is a useful avenue to explore.
Having organised a nucleus of interested former Rotarians, an information meeting should be arranged. The Association would be happy to arrange for one of its officers or a member from a nearby Club to attend and give advice and help. If there is sufficient interest, a proposal should be put to form an interim Past Rotarians Club. As soon as the officers feel that the interim Club has a secure future, application can be made to join the Association. The Club can then arrange a Charter event, at which the Association President would present the new Club with its Charter.
How do past Rotarians clubs differ from probus clubs?
While Probus was founded by RIBI well after our first Clubs were formed and after the formation of our Association, Probus Clubs do not require their members to have been Rotarians or persons who have the same ethics and standards as a member of a Rotary Club or to have a commitment to community service. Our Clubs do. Our Clubs also tend to meet less frequently than Probus Clubs. Quite a few of our members also enjoy membership of Probus.