The Rotary Club of Footscray was chartered in August 1937 and was the first club in Melbourne to be formed in a highly industrialised area where the majority of potential members would be non-residential. It was an experiment where Footscray’s progress would determine whether establishing similar clubs would proceed.
Peopled by ‘captains of industry’ in a community soon to experience the privations of World War 2, the Club endured. The captains have long gone—light industry and a certain gentrification has replaced them while the Rotary Club of Footscray has cemented its place as a contributing force in the area for over 80 years.
Eight plus decades and the provision of three District Governors (Doug Mills 1981/82, Lawrence Atley 1989/90 and John Davis 2007/08) has meant numerous and wide-ranging involvement in community and international programs, significant among these being:
The establishment of the Rotary Club of Footscray Community Trust—in conjunction with the James Flood Trust, funds were derived from the sale of collector’s item motoring publications with the annual interest donated to local charities.
The Community Hub–an outstanding and ongoing project where discarded bicycles are collected, repaired and given to excited children at the Maribyrnong Refugee Centre.
The Club’s involvement in Youth Exchange, continuous since 1974, is outstanding. Recently, Footscray hosted two incoming students (French and Brazilian) concurrently.
For over 20 years Past President Jamie Robertson arranged the Vietnam Dental Project. This involved Australian dental professionals travelling to Vietnam for field-work and teaching, and Vietnamese counterparts coming to Australia for similar experiences. As well, PP Peter McGrath has led FAIM and Save Water Save Lives teams to New Guinea, the Maldives and Timor-Leste.
The Club maintains involvement in MUNA and the National Youth Science Forum (recently, one of Footscray’s candidates was selected to attend the World Youth Science Forum).
Despite a vastly altered environment, the Rotary Club of Footscray looks forward to 2020/21 under President Jama Farah and Secretary Rodney Johnstone.