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Rotary International District 7020
Part of our Rotary Global History in Central
American/Caribbean Section
Introduction.
The section
dealing with the history of the club has been drawn principally from the
writings of Charter Member and Past President Harry McCoy (dec'd.),
whose memory was legendary and to whom the club owes a great debt of
gratitude.
The club's
thanks are given to Past Presidents Larry Chomyn and Harry McCoy, Past
Assistant Governors Jeremy Hurst and Donnie Smith, Past District
Governors Bobby Bodden and Richard Harris for their contributions and
support in putting this manual together and finally to Rotarian Mike
Austin for proof reading it so thoroughly.
Jonathan
Nicholson, Grand Cayman, July
21, 2008
District 7020.
The
Rotary Club of Grand Cayman is part of Rotary District 7020, which is
made up of 69 clubs in the following countries:
Anguilla
Bahamas
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Haiti
Jamaica
St. Barths
St. Maarten
St. Martin
Turks and Caicos
U.S. Virgin Islands
The District Governor for 2007-08 was
Rupert Ross of St. Croix, for 2009-10 Erroll Alberga (Jamaica), followed
by Diana White who lives in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.
The District Governor has a committee to
help him or her lead the district. In each country there is one or more
Assistant Governors, who serve for a 2 or 3 year term. PDG Richard is
the permanent Treasurer for the District.
Our Club's
Activities.
Major projects have included the construction of the
Bonaventure Boys Home and the Frances Bodden Girls Home whilst major
annual events organised by the club include the Senior Citizens Party
and the Christmas Tree Lighting. In addition, the club has provided a
kidney dialysis machine, a learning booth and 2 mobile dental units.
Our club sponsors a Christmas Party for Senior Citizens
and Christmas Tree Lighting and gifts for the under privileged. Other
projects have included the building of a Boys and Girls Home, painting
the Pines retirement home, and a classroom extension for a day care
centre. Many RI Community Service programs are designed to support club
efforts in the following areas of concern: literacy; the environment
through the Preserve Planet Earth; drug and alcohol abuse prevention;
concern for the aging; hunger; conflict resolution; clean water;
children; families; AIDS; and youth leadership training.
The earliest project of any significance, undertaken by
the club, was the hosting of the first Senior Citizens Christmas Party
in 1965, that would bring together a number of elderly persons from the
various districts, and was born out of consideration for providing an
opportunity for relatives and friends from the districts and those
visiting from abroad at Christmas time, to meet and renew old
acquaintances and to enjoy this association in an atmosphere of
festivity and joviality, reminiscent of by-gone days.
It should be known that as recent as 1965, the means and
the opportunities for elderly people to travel from one district to
another were very limited. It was felt that such an opportunity would be
very welcome and so it proved. Not only did the party become an annual
event but it is regarded as the highlight of Christmas festivities for
those of 65 years and older. The
success of the Senior Citizens Christmas Party, catering to a relatively
small segment of the island community, spawned the idea of a Community
Christmas Tree to cater to a much wider cross-section. This too has
proved successful and has become a much looked for annual Christmas
event.
The first fishing
tournament (right) to
be held in the island was also organised by the club, as a fund raising
event. This is still held annually, and has become as well, a favourite
pastime event. It was so popular that several others have jumped on the
band wagon, to the point where there are now several fishing tournaments
held each year, including the International Million Dollar Month
Tournament.
The club also organized the first clean-up
campaign along the entire seven-mile West Bay Road which was undertaken
for two consecutive years.
The club's
first major Community Service Project was the building of the Bonaventure
Boys Home (left)which
occupied the club from 1975 to 1977. During this period funds raised
were also used to fund such projects as contributing to the cost of the
first Kidney Dialysis Machine for the hospital and painting the
hospital.
On completing
the Boys Home and handing it over to Government, the club continued to
show an interest in this project by donating sporting equipment and
other aids for the boys. Most importantly was the club's involvement in
helping some of the boys who had the unprecedented privilege of being
admitted to the famous Boys Town in Nebraska U.S.A.
Another fundraising effort launched by the
club that became a favourite community event was a fireworks display.
This was held at Governors Harbour each year. Regrettably this had to
be cancelled as fireworks became too costly to make the effort a viable
one, but was recommenced in 1996 when the club held its Star Night
Express fireworks display that raised over CI$20,000.
Before embarking on its next major project
- the Girls Home - the club was involved in other community projects to
the tune of over $50,000. Among these was (i) the
furnishing with special equipment, of the Lighthouse School for the
handicapped; (ii) providing
all the sodium lights for the seven-mile West Bay Road, from the area
opposite Pageant Beach to the West Bay Cemetery; (iii) assisting
the Rotary Club of Kingston, Jamaica in one of its projects and (iv) making
several donations to individuals in special areas of need, including
building a small house for a very old indigent man.
It was the
elegant launch of The
Frances Bodden Girls Home Fund
(below) established by the Caymanian Compass newspaper and supported by
a good cross section of the Caymanian community.
The prominent
firm of architects in the Cayman Islands, Messrs., Rutkowski, Baxter &
Partners XE "Rutkowski, Baxter & Partners" , kindly offered to donate
their services in the design of the Girls Home as well as supervising
the on-g oing
construction.
A local firm
of contractors, Unit Construction Ltd XE "Unit Construction Ltd"., agreed to build the Girls Home entirely at cost.
Members of
the Club, through their respective business interests, donated
construction at cost, electrical work at cost, architectural and design
services free of charge, quantity surveying services free of charge, and
windows, doors and paint at cost. In addition, Quality Concrete Ltd XE
"Quality Concrete Ltd" . very kindly donated 100 cubic yards of cement
for use in construction of the Home.
Construction
of the Girls Home commenced in the Rotary year 1982/83 during the
Presidency of James Walker. Although the Government provided the land on
which to build the home, raising the necessary funds proved far more
difficult. The demands of the Girls Home severely restricted the club's
other involvements.
Construction
of this ambitious project commenced in June 1982 and was completed at a
cost of over $300,000 and handed over to Government in 1984 by the then
President Steve Williams.
Even though
building the Boys Home and the Girls Home were colossal projects for any
one club, our club has not rested on its laurels. It continues to
provide innovative fund raising projects which serve a dual purpose by
also providing entertainment for the community.Top of this list is
Batabano, a carnival event that was introduced in 1984 and each year
since has become more popular.Other projects undertaken by the club have
been painting the Pines Retirement Home; donating an incubator to the
hospital; raising $26,000 for the RI Polio Plus Programme; and
collecting and supplying computers for the Deaf School in Mandeville,
Jamaica.
It was in
1986 that the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman first became involved in the Soccer
Camp (below).
Our club
sponsored the camp for several years. The club arranged airfares for
the coaches, provided accommodation and transportation, and paid their
allowances. The club also organised food and refreshments for the
children and coaches, and provided T-shirts and a professional football
at the end of camp.
The camp ran for a two-week period, and
registration was as high as 300 children.
The budget
for this project amounted to some $35,000 annually, approximately
$15,000 of which was donated by various firms - The Holiday Inn , Ramada
Treasure Island Resort and the Hyatt Regency hotels provided
accommodations, while local fast food operators Pizza Hut, Wendy's,
Burger King, Champion House, MacDonalds and Beefers supplied food at
discounted prices. Discounts were also given by Foster's Food Fair and
Heston Ltd. The Grand Old House,managed by internationally known Chef
Tell, and Sunset House also provided food free of cost.
Insurance was
provided free by British Caymanian Insurance Co, while Cayman Airways
offered reduced airfares for the coaches.
At a meeting of the Rotary Club of Grand
Cayman on 24th July,
1986, Dr. Ronald Gordon in his address to the club confirmed t hat
50 percent of the school children on the islands had two or more
cavities.
The need for the mobile
dental clinic was
first brought to the attention of our club by Dr. Ken Grant XE
"Grant, Ken" , then the Chief Medical Officer at the George Town
Hospital.
The
project however actually started with a suggestion from Rotarian, Mr.
Arthur Hunter who had proposed that an ambulance be donated for use in
the districts.
The dental clinics in the schools were
proving inadequate and the cost of refurbishing several of them would
have been enormous. With a mobile dental clinic in an easily movable,
self-powered configuration, it could serve all the schools, and could
also be used in emergency situations since it would have its own power
supply, kitchen and bathroom facilities.
The mobile clinic was prepared by the
Central Funding Scheme staff for licensing and insurance. The mobile
clinic featured the latest model dental chair, an X-ray unit,
sterilizer, suction unit, high speed and low speed drills, and high
speed tooth-cleaning equipment.
The clinic was a completely self-contained
unit with its own power supply, its own compressor, propane stove and
refrigerator, and boasted two air-conditioners, together with holding
tanks for water and sewerage.
The unit was built by the dental supply
company, Kemodent, that serviced the George Town Hospital, and was
constructed using a 1986 Ford mobile home. The total cost was in the
region of $55,000. It was brought to Grand Cayman from Miami, free of
charge, by Barton Kirkconnell of Kirk Line, who was then a Rotarian.
In 1996, it was recognised that this
dental unit was coming to the end of its useful life, having provided
over 20,000 dental treatments since it began 10 years previously.
Following a presentation by Government's
Chief Dental Officer, Dr. Trevor Barnes, it was decided by the club's
President, Alastair Paterson, that the club would provide upto CI$35,000
to purchase a replacement unit, which would be a dental caravan that
would be towed from school to school. The new dental caravan was made
in Scarborough, England in 1997 and presented to the Health Services
Department for the children of the Cayman Islands on November 4th,
1997. The club has since taken back the old dental unit and donated it
to the Rotary Club of Mandeville, Jamaica.
Meals
on Wheels  began
when PP Sophia Harris was president and was largely spear-headed by
Rotarian Jim O'Neill and was supported financially by Bank Austria.
Meals are delivered to the needy by Rotarians and friends of our club in
George Town, West Bay and Bodden Town.
In all, the club has raised and donated well over one million dollars.
In the 42 years since its establishment,
the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman feels that it can be justly proud of its
achievements as a service club, both locally and internationally.
Its
International and District achievements have included its contribution
to the Rotary Foundation as evidenced by this club having over 150 Paul
Harris Fellows - and the many District awards and Citations which the
club has been presented with over the years.
Planes are
filled each year with members and their guests attending the annual
District Conference and members attend the International Convention each
year.
The club was the driving force behind the
establishment of the Inner Wheel Club as well as a Rotaract Club, in
additional to the Central, Sunrise and Brac Rotary clubs.
When inducted into our club, new Rotarians
receive ‘Red Badges' These badges serve as a reminder to other members
of the club that the member is new to Rotary and may need help and
advice from time to time.
In order for the member to get a "Blue
Badge", the following have to be carried out:
1. Make Up at another club;
2. Invite a guest to a lunch meeting;
3. Lead the Grace;
4. Lead the Four Way Test
5. Act as Guest Greeter;
6. Do a job talk or provide a profile for the weekly newsletter;
7. Do a Meals on Wheels delivery;
8. Actively participate in a club project or fund raising event;
9. Attend a fellowship function;
10. Attend the new members' orientation session; and
11. Familiarise yourself with the club's Rotary resources, particularly
our Club and District Web Sites and this manual.
History of Our Club.
The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman was
chartered on January 28th, 1966, having been sponsored by the
Rotary Club of Boston the seventh oldest club, under the direction of
Colonel Pirnie, a frequent visitor to the island.
At the time
the club was formed there was no Rotary District in which Cayman could
be placed. However, soon after this, a new District was created -
District 404, later becoming 4040 and now 7020 which encompasses 69
clubs.
The club has sponsored both the Rotary Club of Cayman Brac and Grand
Cayman Central which received their charters in 1981 and 1986, and has
provided three District Governors.
At the present time our club consists of over 100 members and is proud
of its achieving over 150 Paul Harris Fellows.
The Rotary
Club of Grand Cayman owes its origin to the foresight and altruistic
spirit of a retired U.S. Army Colonel, who first came to Grand Cayman in
the late 1950's and ultimately became a property owner and a part-time
resident. He was Colonel Bruce Pirnie, a Rotarian of long-standing and a
member of the Boston Club.
Our club has
the honour and the distinction of having been sponsored by this club.
No doubt it was because of his dedication to Rotary and what Rotary
really stands for, and the fact that he saw tremendous potential for
Rotary involvement in Cayman society, that he approached the late Ernest
Panton, ISO, MBE, JP, who was then the Assistant Administrator, with the
proposal of starting a Rotary club in Grand Cayman. That was in the
Spring of 1965. Together with Ulric McNamee, MBE, a teacher and school
principal, the machinery to establish a local Rotary club was set in
motion.
A wide cross
section of businessmen, from all over the island, was invited to the
first meeting, which was followed by other meetings, held at Petra
Plantation (now known as The Grand Old House, the home of Colonel
Pirnie.
These early
meetings launched the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, in the summer of
1965.
Charter Members
The old Sea View Hotel became the formal meeting place
for the club and it was at one of our earliest meetings there that the
first election of officers took place, as follows:
Ernest Panton ................................................President
Harwell (Harry) McCoy ...............................Vice-President
E. Ulric McNamee .........................................Secretary
A. Lawrence Thompson ...............................Treasurer
Theo R. Bodden ........................................... Sergeant-at-Arms
James D. MacDonald .....................................Director
A. Val Anderson ........................................... Director
Dalkeith R. Bodden........................................ Director
Vernon L. Jackson . .....................................
Director
T. Edlin Merren ..............................................Director
The other
charter members were:
James A.
(Sonny Boy) Bodden James M. Bodden, Jr.
W. Wallace
Bodden William
(Billy) Bodden
Robert Butz Raymond
G. Coke
Cardinal
DaCosta Benson O. Ebanks
Timothy E.
McField A.
McNee McLaughlin
William L.
Nixon Ormond L. Panton
Frank
Roulstone Norberg K. Thompson
Esterly C.
Tibbetts Desmond
V. Watler
On completing
the formalities and following the procedures laid down by RI for
establishing a new club, the club attained Provisional Club status and
on January 28th, 1966 received its Charter at a well attended
ball at the Inferno Club, located in Hell in West Bay. It was on this
occasion that Uncle Bill McTaggart and Arthur Hunter joined the club.
The concept
of Rotary or of service clubs was very new to the Cayman Islands, since
there had been no prior existence of either. The new club therefore had
the responsibility of translating the concepts of Rotary, as a community
service club, into practical realism, without delay, if it was to earn
the support and confidence of the community at large.
Therefore,
very early after its establishment it embarked on various fund raising
activities and while building up a fund it became involved in a number
of small projects that were not financially burdensome but which served
to indicate to the public the positive role of a Rotary service club.
Because of
limited funds, its early involvements were limited, in the main, to
assistance to individuals recommended by the Welfare Department of
Government requiring overseas medical aid, passages, treatment etc. Home
repairs were performed as well as other charitable gestures. This was
before the wave of prosperity now enjoyed by most, and when sources of
help in the areas of need mentioned here, were very limited, including
what the Government could do.
During Ian Kilpatrick's Presidency in
1994/95, the club admitted its first female member, Mrs. Alice Anderson
the widow of Charter Member Val Anderson. Other women have since joined
and they now make up over 10% of the club's membership and are some of
the more active members of the club.
At the end of the Rotary year it is
customary for the President, with input from the Board, to present
awards to Rotarians at Change-Over Night to recognise individuals for
their contributions during the year. The most prestigious awards that
night are Paul Harris Fellows and Rotarian of the Year.
The membership of the club is a fair
representation of the business community in Cayman with members ranging
in age from their 20's to their 80's. 3 Charter members remain in the
club, as do 24 of its Past Presidents and 3 Past District Governors .
This interesting
expose was extracted from the 95 page Members' Manual (second edition,
2008) of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, authored by Jonathan Nicholson
and provided by Derek Haines, QPM, CPM, 2008-09 President of the Rotary
Club of Grand Cayman; edited by Greg Barlow |
