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District 7810
Zone 24
District 7810 is an
international district, comprising 28 Rotary Clubs in New Brunswick,
one in Quebec, and 12 clubs in Maine, USA. A small district, it
boasts a membership of 1390. The US clubs are located in Zone 31.
The oldest club in the District is the Rotary Club of St.
John organized in 1914, followed by the Rotary Club of
Moncton in 1920.
Like the other districts in
Zone 24, District 781 has experienced numerous boundary changes and
renumbering, starting in 1915 when districts were first created. The
re-districting process in 1958-59 produced the current district.
Rotarians in
District 7810, in partnership with many other Canadian Rotary
pioneers, contributed much to the early development of Rotary as an
international organization. For example in the first year the
St.John Club was formed, Club member A.P. Allingham was made a
member of the International Election Committee and the following
year, he served on the Resolutions Committee. Downing Patterson and
Dr Harvey L. Spangler both members of the St. John Club, served
early on as members of the Canadian Advisory Committee of Rotary
International formed in 1919. Through the years and up to the
present day many more Rotarians from the District have served on
international bodies.
Rotarians in the
district have participated in many World Community Service and other
international projects. We are pleased to relate below an
interesting Rotary Friendship exchange between Rotarians in
District 7810 and District 9250 in South Africa.
Rotary Friendship Exchange – Canada/South Africa
In September 2002 seven New
Brunswick Rotarians and four spouses from the Moncton
West-Riverview Club flew to South Africa and Swaziland as part of a
two week Rotary friendship exchange with District 9250. Rotarians
from South Africa had toured New Brunswick and Maine the year
before. Individuals taking part in a friendship exchange are
responsible for their own transportation costs, but Rotarians in the
host country provide accommodation and organize activities and
sight-seeing. While in South Africa and Swaziland, the New
Brunswickers visited a number of World Community Service projects
that had been sponsored jointly by Rotary Clubs in both districts.
One memorable
visit was to Tihaalapitse Primary School in the rural village of
Holfontein. The Rotary Club of Sussex ( New Brunswick) had
partnered with the Rotary Club of Brits (South Africa) to
provide water in the school for the 435 students from grade 1
through grade 6. This World Community Service project illustrates
how the Rotary granting system works to the benefit of the recipient
of the aid. The two clubs put up a total of US $900 which was
matched by both districts. That total was matched by the Rotary
Foundation, and the Canadian Rotary Committee for International
Development (CRCID) provided a grant that brought the total to US
$7,900. The money was used to drill a bore hole, install pumping
equipment and purchase classroom and recreational equipment.
The school
children showed their appreciation to the Rotarians by holding an
assembly in the school yard in which they performed dancing, skits,
and songs. The Rotarians were deeply moved when the children shouted
out: “May God bless you for putting water in our school!” More
improvements are needed at the school. There is only one communal
outhouse, with no place to wash hands. Classrooms are sparse and
many have leaky roofs. Despite the drawbacks, the children are happy
and well looked after. They were excited to have their benefactors
visit and they loved having their pictures taken. Each time a camera
flashed, they shouted out “Hurray!”
Other Rotary
projects visited included Rooikoppies school, where a project partly
sponsored by the New Brunswick Rotary Clubs of Fredericton-Sunrise,
Sackville and Amherst was nearing completion.
Washrooms with modern toilets and sinks were constructed for both
students and staff. This project also received matching grants from
the Rotary Foundation and CRCID.
The group spent
some time at an AIDS project for infected mothers and children. In
Swaziland they visited a number of projects, including a renovated
community center, a neighbourhood medical facility, still under
construction, a nursery school, and a rural medical clinic jointly
sponsored by Rotary and the Salvation Army. The group had brought a
wheelchair for a disabled youth in a rural village, but protocol
required that permission for the presentation be given by the
village chief. The chief was away, so the Rotarians had to walk up
a dirt trail to seek the permission of his mother. They met her
outside her reed hut. An interpreter explained what they wanted. The
mother’s permission and blessing given, the Rotarians were able to
make a heart-wrenching presentation of the wheel chair to the little
boy.
The group did
considerable sight-seeing, the highlight being a visit to the game
parks to view big game – lions, buffalo, elephants, rhinoceroses,
and leopards. All were spotted except the leopards which are most
active at night.
The Canadians
found the South Africans to be congenial hosts who organized a
number of bries (outdoor barbecue parties) for them. Visitors and
hosts frequently stayed up late discussing customs and traditions in
each other’s countries. One of the major social differences between
the two countries noted by the Canadians was the lack of a large
middleclass in South Africa and Swaziland; it seems that people are
either extremely rich or extremely poor. Security is a major
problem. Most homes are behind at least one locked gate, some with
armed guards. Motorists drive with their doors and windows locked
and parking lots have attendants who will watch over a vehicle for a
fee. |
