Port Hawkesbury Rotary Club comes to an end

The final eight members of the Port Hawkesbury Rotary Club wrapped up operations earlier this year, but one town councillor is urging local residents to pitch in to keep the club alive.

"Losing any service group is not a good sign," said Iaian Langley. "But you know, it can come back. There are other service clubs that have closed and reopened in the Strait area and I certainly hope to see a revival of the Rotary Club."

The club has been in existence for 64 years, but has struggled to find new members.

“We certainly tried quite hard to attract new members and possibly foster a new succession, but we weren't successful,” said former president Patrick Lamey, who was a member since 2003.

“So it was time to have a dignified and natural ending of this particular version of the club."

The club held concerts and dinners with special guests. The members helped build a new playground for the community.

The club formally disbanded in June. Langley says its closing is a sign of the times, noting that other organizations have had to wind down because of a lack of volunteers. The Lions' Club was shuttered in 2013 for the same reason.

"When I was young, there was a little more vibrancy to service clubs like the Lions' Club, the Rotary Club, Boy Scouts and so on. COVID certainly didn't help,” said Langley.

“The legacy of good work that the Rotary Club has done and the Lions' Club and other service groups in the area remain. They've done a lot of good work and there's lots of evidence to that in the community.”

Lamey said he's still hopeful that some locals will rebuild Rotary Club in the future.

“I still have our banner. That banner can be easily dusted off and renewed,” he said.

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