Brief History: November 1922 to January 2009
The first meeting of the Club was in November 1922 and the Club received its Charter on 26th February 1924. There were 20 members at the start and the club is now 59 strong. The Club’s first lunch meetings were held at the Clarendon Hotel, where the Clarendon centre is now. They continued there until December 1939, when the hotel was purchased by F W Woolworth for a new store. The Club moved to the Randolph Hotel and has remained there ever since. On a historical note about the price of their lunch; 3/6p in 1922, 3/3p in 1949, 1.20 in 1974 and now 11.50 in 2011.
In the avenues of Rotary Service, Community Service has taken many forms. In 1939 a Christmas party was held for about 200 poor children, boys were sent on holiday to the Rotary Boys Home at Weston super Mare. After the war visits to the Pantomime visits for Oxford children were very popular. In the recent years the club has helped the “Kids Out Days” in the summer for physically and mentally handicapped children where in conjunction with other local clubs the children are taken to places like the Cotswold Wildlife Park for a day out. Car transport has been a big feature of Community Service, for example, taking people for hospital visits, taking blind and partially sighted people to classes at the CFE. Parcels of food used to be delivered to needy old folk, but this was replaced by a party with entertainment in the summer.
Next to Rotary Foundation, which is Rotary’s own Charity Fund, the club has always been involved in the students who come from many parts of the world to study at the universities in Oxford on Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships for a year. Many members of the Club have been involved as Counsellors to them and lasting friendships have been made. The club has welcomed and hosted many Group Study Exchange teams made up usually of 5 young business men & women with a Rotarian leader who come from different parts of the world to learn about Britain and this area. One of members was chosen to lead a GSE team from this district to Texas in the 1970’s. Over the years the Club has honoured several members for good service to the Club and the Community by contribution to RI Foundation for a Paul Harris Fellowship named after Paul Harris who was the founder of the Rotary movement. One of members was awarded this for a fund raising Lands End to John O’ Groats Cycle Ride for the Park Children’s’ Hospital that he completed in his retirement year in 1991.
Fundraising efforts for local, national and international have taken the form of raffles for cars to raise funds to build a swimming pool for a local hospital, buy a new minibus for the local OAP club. In 1977 the club organised the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations with the Lord Mayor’s Parade to raise funds for the Queen’s appeal fund. In 1988 the first Half Marathon was organised by the Club to raise funds for the Rotary Polio Plus Scheme to eradicate Polio around the world. The Half Marathon was run for several years after that, raising money for OXSRAD, St John’s Ambulance, Mencap, Multiple Sclerosis Society and other causes. In the last eight years a Fun Run has been organised in the Oxford University Parks in May raising money for charities, such as the Life Education Centres, the Pathway Trust, Headway, Age Concern, Parkinson’s Disease Society etc. These events are well supported by people running for sponsorship to raise funds for other charities as well.
On the International scene, the Club maintains a contact with Leiden in Holland, and parties of exchange students have hosted, recently from Romania and Croatia and the club has sent students for return visits. On a historical note, the Club records mention a Garden Party held in August 1939 at Wadham College for about 100 refugees. At this, one of the Hon Club members Lord Nuffield was present with Lady Nuffield. Children from all parts of Europe danced with Morris Dancers and the Oxford Folk Dance Society. Members of other Rotary Clubs are always welcome at our meetings as we are, if we attend clubs worldwide. Each year we receive very many Rotarians from all parts of the world.
The Membership committee is always looking for new members, and in 2004 the first lady member joined. There are now 6 lady members. In our present numbers of 59 there are 21 who have been members for over 25 years, so the club has a good heart. The Club Service Committee has always had a reputation for getting good speakers due to the efforts of the teams of speaker finders. Contacts are maintained with aged and infirm members. During the Second World War the Club where possible kept in touch with members in the Forces and sent out the club bulletins to them.
Finally, the Club has been glad to have a flourishing Inner Wheel Club alongside it, to help each other with the social and charitable efforts of the Clubs. Each year the connection is maintained with a Joint Presidents’ Dinner.