Rotary Club of Toowoomba South Inc.
About Rotary
The Beginning
A little over a hundred years a Chicago lawyer named Paul Harris found he only ever got to speak and deal with people from his own profession, so he began meeting regularly for lunch with people who worked in a different profession or business.
This informal group soon began to take on projects in the community and beyond. From these humble beginnings Rotary has grown into an organisation of 1.2 million women and men, in over 210 countries. They still continue to enjoy the opportunity to serve the world community in ways that the small group in Chicago could never have envisaged all those years ago.
The first four Rotarians: Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram Shorey and Paul P Harris.
Rotary Achieves
We hope our website will inspire you to help us with our humanitarian activities through attendance and participation at our Club.
Rotary doesn't just talk about it; as an organisation Rotary achieves. For example Rotary sponsors post-graduate scholars from all around the world and we create and fund International professional exchanges and student exchanges. These initiatives have given thousands upon thousands of people the opportunity to live, work and study all over the globe. As their careers have developed and many have become significant community and world leaders, they have carried with them the fruit of that international experience. Also when things go tragically wrong in the world, Rotary is always there. Rotary works hard behind the scenes, making the critically important and practical things happen.
In the mid-1980s, Rotary decided to rid the world of the scourge of Polio. It's been a massive project, tough and expensive. The annual number of cases worldwide is now down to the number that afflicted a small city in Australia in the 1950's. We'll have that job done by the middle of the decade.
Rotary Down Under - magazine subscription
Rotary Down Under is a monthly magazine that focuses on the volunteering effort of more than 1.2 million Rotarians in 215 countries, with a particular focus on the work of those Rotarians in Australia, New Zealand and the South-West Pacific region. Click on the 3D Issue image (left) to open the May 2020 edition.
From the publisher
If you are a Rotarian looking for ideas for your next club project, or if you want to make a difference in your community, you’ll find all the information you need in Rotary Down Under. From the worldwide polio eradication effort, to youth development through programs such as the World Peace Scholars, Ambassadorial Scholarships programs and Youth Exchange, Rotary Down Under will help you make sense of the myriad of opportunities that membership of Rotary International provides.Please note, there is no publication printed in the month of January.If you would like to subscribe to the online version, please click here.
Rotary in the Media
Below is a You Tube Video produced by the Rotary Club of Lane Cove, NSW, Australia featuring renowned Australian newsreader Mr Roger Climpson, himself a Rotarian. Duration approx 9 minutes.
Rotary International Videos
Click Here for more Rotary International Videos on You Tube
Click Here for more Rotary International Videos on Vimeo
What is Shelterbox
A ShelterBox is a solution to a disaster; a response that is simple and effective.
ShelterBox can deliver the essentials a family needs to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
Each ShelterBox is equipped with Tent Shelter, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital equipment.
Watch this Introduction to ShelterBox video:
Welcome to Rotary Club Radio
Rotary Club Radio is a “New Media” Production about Rotary. Produced in St. Croix Falls by Kirk Anderson, a Rotarian and member of the St. Croix Falls Rotary Club and in partnership with Rotary International and District 5960. Rotary Club Radio delivers audio and video via a podcast to Rotarians and supporters, allowing them to stay informed about what Rotary is doing around the world.
Click here to open Rotary Club Radio in a new window.
Why join Rotary?
Professional Networking:
A founding principle of Rotary was to provide a forum for professional and business leaders. Members are leaders in business, industry, the professions, the arts, government, sports, the military, and religion. They make decisions and influence policy. Rotary is the oldest most prestigious service-club organisation in the world.
The Opportunity to Serve:
Rotarians provide service at both the community and international levels. Service programs address health care needs, hunger and poverty, illiteracy, disaster relief, and environmental clean-ups to name a few. Members experience the fulfillment that comes from giving back to the community.
Personal Growth and Development:
Membership in Rotary ensures continuing personal and professional development. Leadership, public speaking and communication, organisation and planning, team-building, fundraising and teaching are just a sampling of the skills that can be exercised and enhanced through Rotary.
Friendship:
Fellowship was a primary reason Rotary was started in 1905 and it remains a major attraction. Today, with more than 30,000 Rotary clubs in over 160 countries, Rotarians have friends wherever they go. Rotary helps to build community as well as enduring friendships.
Cultural Diversity:
Rotary International is an association of local clubs in many countries. Clubs are open to members of every ethnic group, political persuasion, language and religious belief. Rotary clubs contain a cross-section of the world's leaders. They practice and promote tolerance.
Good Citizenship:
Membership in Rotary makes one a better citizen. Weekly Rotary club programmes keep members informed about what is taking place in the community, the nation and the world. Rotary's expansive network of clubs and programmes provides extensive opportunities for service and interchange.
World Understanding:
Rotary members gain an understanding of humanitarian issues and have a significant impact on them through international service projects and exchange programmes of RI and its Foundation. The promotion of peace is one of Rotary's highest objectives.
Entertainment:
Every Rotary club and district hosts parties and activities that offer diversion from one’s personal and business life. Conferences, conventions, assemblies and social events provide entertainment as well as Rotary information, education and service.
Family Foundations:
Rotary sponsors some of the world’s largest youth exchange, educational exchange and scholarship programmes. Rotary clubs provide innovative training opportunities and mentoring for future leaders. They involve family members in a wide range of social and service activities.
Ethical Environment:
Rotarians practice The 4-Way Test that measures words and actions by their truthfulness, fairness, goodwill and benefit to all. Encouraging high ethical standards in one's profession and respect for all worthy vocations has been a hallmark of Rotary from its earliest days.
Read The ABC's of Rotary.
Learn More about Our Club
Information on what we do as an individual Rotary Club can be found in the the Club's weekly newsletter, The SouthEnder and by clicking on some of the links in the Footer below.
Check out our Club Brochure
Join Rotary and Make a Difference
Rotary is 1.2 million passionate individuals in 35,000+ clubs worldwide. We are both an international organization and a local community leader. Together we lead change in our own backyards and across the world.
Tell us why you’re interested in Rotary, and we’ll help you get started.