 | The Rotary Club of Humberside |
| The man behind the formation of the Humberside RC was PDG George Pulfrey, a past President of the Hull RC and Transport Manager of the Hull City Council. We remember George every time our bell is rung, since it was his gift to us taken as it was from Hull's last tram (streetcar). Bill Brittan, from the Rotary Club of Holderness, the genial dentist with the booming laugh, also made a significant contribution to our foundation and his role is commemorated annually by the trophy played for in the golf tournament. The inaugural luncheon meeting was held on 28 May 1969, with 30 members attending, 8 of whom are still with us. The actual charter was presented to founder President Donald Snelgrove at a magnificent dinner at the Grange Park Hotel on 28 November 1969, and this event is celebrated with a Charter Lunch every November, which receives tremendous support from members of other clubs in District 1270. The club remained at the Grange Park Hotel for ten years before moving to its present venue, the Willerby Manor Hotel. Many of the club's activities are shared with a flourishing Inner Wheel Club which was chartered in June 1971. Over the years, membership of the Humberside Club has rarely fallen below 35 members or exceeded 50. During this time, it has provided one District Governor, the late William Machin in 1987, and others serving the district in various capacities. It was also instrumental in the starting of a new Rotary club, South Cave and Wolds, in 1991 and two Probus clubs. The club is involved in many charitable projects; for example, once a year members take disabled young people to the District’s Games for the Disabled for the day, take elderly people for an evening outing, do mentoring in schools, support shoe boxes of gifts at Christmas for eastern Europe and run a 5-a-side indoor soccer competition for the under elevens. The club’s social reputation is high and most functions are well supported by other clubs. The club has completed several centential projects, including the planting of a sea of daffodils at a local hospital and the authoring, by Basil Lewis, of a book entitled Paul Harris in Britain, which is now available. During the Centennial of Rotary, there has been an interest among Rotarians for additional information about Rotary's early years. Some of that information is available on the Rotary International website, on the History Fellowship’s website, or on the "Joseph A. Caulder Collection" website. Without doubt the Rotary spirit of the founding fathers of the Humberside Club has lasted. The club continues to prosper and looks forward to the future in the knowledge that the high ideals of Rotary are unalterable. |
