The heart of Rotary is the Rotary Club. The Rotary Club of Beaumaris is one of 48,000 Rotary and Rotaract Clubs worldwide. Rotary and Rotaract clubs unite dedicated men and women to exchange ideas, build relationships, and take action.
Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cheltenham, a Father’s Group from Beaumaris North Primary School formed the nucleus of the Rotary Club of Beaumaris. The club received its official Rotary International Charter on 8 November 1985. The club held its first official meeting on 1 December 1985 presided over by inaugural President the late Tim Ive. The 39 original (all male) charter members met at the now sadly demolished Beaumaris RSL.
The club did not see a female member until December 1999 when Kerrie Geard joined. Kerrie was also the club’s first female President in 2002. Females now make up 40% of membership.
Over the years the club has come up with some novel ways of raising money. These have ranged from raffling a trailer full of tools to constructing a three storey high scaffold in the Southland atrium for a Mother’s Day raffle. Club members also became very good at driving courtesy buses and parking cars at various major golf events.
Our members are people who share a passion for community service and friendship. We get together to share ideas, make plans, hear from the community and to design club projects that deliver the impact we look to make. We also value friendships and having fun while we render service throughout or community and beyond.
The Rotary Club of Beaumaris has always looked to fund and participate in programs that support young people both locally and overseas. In 1995 the club handed over a refurbished house in Bluff Road, Sandringham to the then Hampton based Bayside Youth Accommodation Service. The house provided a home for up to four disadvantaged young people. Recently the club has helped fund the construction of student accommodation in Kupang, Indonesia as well as supporting the education of indigenous students here in Melbourne.
Now, nearly 40 years later, The Rotary Club of Beaumaris continues to support those in need both here and overseas, raising the funds needed at its annual Bayside Charity Golf Day at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club and various other events. For the second year running, the Rotary Club of Beaumaris has been awarded a Rotary Citation for its performance in achieving a set of Rotary Goals. The goals are in the areas of Membership and Member Engagement, Rotary Foundation Giving, Youth and Young Leaders, Service Projects and Public Image. To learn more about our Club’s Vision and Values please open our Strategic Plan for 2024 – 2025.
In April 2024 District 9810 clubs were invited to submit applications to be recognised for their achievements in the areas of: Club Building, Club Projects and Club PR and Communications. We applied for recognition in all three areas:
- Our Club Building application was based on the way ex Cheltenham members had been welcomed and integrated into the club.
- The Club Projects application referenced the work in Sabu and the way the team has publicised the project with their excellent video.
- For Club PR and Communications, we showed examples of In Gear, Facebook posts, and our Website.
Our Club is a registered member of Rotary International and governed by a globally recognised Constitution, with Bylaws.