Rotaract is celebrating 40 Years!
In March 2008, the Rotaract organisation turned 40 - the first Rotaract Club to receive its official charter by Rotary International was the Rotaract Club of North Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, on 13 March 1968!
Four decades later, there are now more than 8,000 clubs worldwide, and Rotaract continues to go from strength to strength. To mark this achievement, many events are taking place across Great Britain & Ireland.
To mark 40 great decades of our organisation, Andy Gordon, the chairman of District 1090 thought it would be a good idea to hold 7 events in 7 days to not only celebrate Rotaract's Birthday, but to mark World Rotaract Week (9th-15th March) and World Rotaract Day on Thursday 13th March 2008.
Here's how District 1090 celebrated World Rotaract Week
The first event of the week began Saturday 8th March with 4 Rotaract Teams taking part in Langley & Iver Rotary's annual Moonraker Night Hike event near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. West Berkshire came joint 18th (out of 50 teams) with
Caversham & Reading, making us joint top Rotaract Teams. Unfortunately we'll have to share the trophy! Wycombes 2 teams also fared well in the event, which was a particularly wet night. We didn't get home till 4pm on Sunday morning - the start of Rotaract Week!!
Monday 10th March saw West Berkshire hold a Ten-Pin Bowling Tournament in Calcott. The event was well supported by Rotaractors & Rotarians, thought we had issues with lanes malfunctioning! Rotaractor Harinder from Caversham was the event Champion with the highest score of the night.
Wallingford hosted Tuesday evenings talks with Nic Mayer superbly reliving her house-building trip to Romania with Habitat for Humanity and Emma Donovan telling of her travels to Sierra Leone with Mercy Ships ending with her setting up her own charity Knickers for Africa.
On Wednesday 12th March Langley & Iver Rotaract held a night at the Movies in Maidenhead where we watched Semi-Pro. A surprisingly funny commedy about a basketball team which certainly gave us some ideas for future costumes for Rotaract Events, as you never know when you'll need a big sun costume or flamingo and palm tree outfits!
World Rotaract Day fell on Thursday 13th March and Caversham & Reading hosted the night in the Outlook drinking hole, Reading, giving everyone a chance to catch up and raise their glasses to 40 Rotaracting Years.
Friday 14th March continued the weeks schedule with a crafty Treasure Hunt around Maidenhead, with those lucky enough to find the amber nectar at the end of the quest.
And rounding off the week, High Wycombe held a relaxed Saturday brunch where you could unwind and contemplate the busiest week of Rotaract events we have ever held!
The highlight will be the Rotaract European Conference, EUCO, to be held in London this May. Around a thousand people from thirty five countries will be gathering in the Capital, uniting
many different cultures and traditions. Among the celebrations will be a special Gala Dinner, taking place at the Novotel London West Hotel in Hammersmith.
Other events have also been staged around the UK. In the East Midlands, a 40th Anniversary Sunday lunch is being held on the 6th April, along with displays of Rotaract memorabilia past and present.
It is also a special year for Liverpool, hosting the Capital City of Culture for Europe, but also a momentous time for a brand new Rotaract Club launching on the 28th March. The Liverpool Hope Rotaract Club is the first UK club to be chartered in its Capital City of Culture year. It’s taking an active part in a global youth congress in June called “The Big Hope”, focusing on issues such as international development and the environment.
Lisa Burnett, organiser of the EUCO 2008 Conference, comments: “Rotaract is a truly magnificent organisation with its members helping thousands of people around the world. We are so proud that we are the hosts for the 10th Annual European Rotaract Conference in what is an extra special celebratory year marking the 40th anniversary of our great organisation.”
Did you Know...Rotaract West Berkshire was first chartered in 1976 and was known as The Rotaract Club of Newbury, being re-branded as Rotaract West Berkshire back in 2005. We celebrated 30 great years in 2007.
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