Rotary Club of Redcliffe City

FIFTY NINE YEARS OLD (as at June 2010)

On 29 May 1951 at the CWA Hall Redcliffe a meeting was held for the sole purpose of forming a Rotary Club. 41 members were present, consisting of 12 members of the Fortitude Valley Club (sponsor club) and 13 members of the co-sponsoring club Sandgate and 16 prospective members of the proposed club. The Chairman, Fabian “Pinkie” Pincus (President Fortitude Valley Club), Geoff Annand (Vice–President), John Earwaker (Sergeant-at-Arms) and Col Moles (Secretary – Sandgate Club) explained the aims of Rotary. The outcome was the formation of the provisional Rotary Club of Redcliffe Peninsula with 16 keen members. Bert Howe (President), Seymour Gomersall (Vice-President), Ted Decker (Secretary) and Chas Clarke Treasurer. The Club’s first dinner meeting was held at Joe Leadbetters’s Regent Café on 5 June 1951. Five new members were admitted.
Needing more room the venue was changed to the Peninsula Golf Club on 11 July 1951. In a ceremony at the Ace of Clubs Cabaret on 10 November 1951, District Governor Ted Gold presented the Club with its Charter No 17820 of Rotary International. The club was the thirty-second chartered in Queensland with membership at twenty-one.

Since that humble beginning over 270 members have enjoyed the Fellowship of the Club. Sadly there are no foundation members left in the Club. However four current members have given exceptional service to Rotary. Roy Grant 46 years, Mark Smoothy 42 years, Doug Gomersall 41 and Jim Harris has over 38 years.

Redcliffe City has sponsored four other Rotary Clubs, Caboolture (chartered 2.8.1954), Redcliffe South (now Redcliffe Sunrise) 5.11.1966, Kippa Ring (18.2.1978) and Deception Bay 25.3.1995). The Club’s original chartered name was “Redcliffe Peninsula”. However, over the years by common usage, the club became known simply as “Redcliffe”. In 1977 to facilitate the formation of the Rotary Club of Kippa Ring both Redcliffe and Redcliffe South, who then shared the peninsula on a north / south territory division, voted to share the peninsula (City of Redcliffe Area) with Kippa Ring on a non-boundary basis. By retaining the Redcliffe Peninsula title some confusion would occur between the three clubs. It was decided to change the name of the club to Redcliffe City. The new charter of the Rotary Club of Redcliffe City was presented on 23 June 1980.

The meeting venues have changed over the years. Originally the Regent Café, then Peninsula Golf Club(1951), Moreton Bay Hotel (1961), RSL (1976), Redcliffe Leagues Club, Woody Point Catholic Church Hall, and the Golden Ox Restaurant at Margate. Then after nearly 10 years (1998 - 2007) at the Kokoda Room at the Redcliffe RSL Club the club moved to a temporary location at the Seabrae Hotel on the 20th March 2007. At the end of June 2007 the club temporarily moved back to the Redliffe RSL club. Then in August of 2007 shifted to it's present meeting place in the upstairs function room of the Belvedere Hotel, Woody Point.