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Ostende |
| First Rotary Club on the European continent | |||
 The
18th Convention Ostende, Belgium, June 5-10, with 6,412 in attendanceHarry Rogers, San Antonio, Texas President Roger's home page Harry Rogers' major role in The Rotary Foundation “May we all, Christian, Jew, Mohammedan, Buddhist, Confucian, Agnostic and Infidel stand for once, shoulder to shoulder and humbly, reverently, hopefully repeat the words: On earth peace, goodwill toward men.” PH Convention Preliminary Activities Photos from the convention Ostende was the first convention to be held on the continent of Europe. Continental European countries with Rotary Clubs were by July 1927 (number of clubs): Spain (13)France (12), Denmark (3), Norway (5), Holland (6), Belgium (8), Italy (17), Switzerland (10), Czecho-Slovakia (7), Austria (3), Hungary (1), Portugal (1), Sweden (1) and Finland (1). The outstanding event of Rotary in Europe was the admission of Germany into the Rotary family of nations. T. C. Thomsen from the Rotary Club of Aarhus, Denmark and member of the extension committee was responsible for the foundation of Rotary Clubs in Germany (pers. communication of Rotarian Wedemeyer, RC Sylt-Westerland, author of the book “75 Years of Rotary in Germany”). The first German Rotary Club, Hamburg, was chartered on October 8, 1927.  King
Albert I of the Belgians opens the first Rotary International Convention
on the continent of Europe, held in
Ostende in 1927.From David Shelley Nicholl "The Golden Wheel" At the convention, King Albert, a Rotarian, said during his remarks, "A Rotarian myself, as your president has kindly remembered - and I think I am alone in the classification to which I belong". |
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Harry H.
Rogers, RI President 1926-1927, San Antonio, Texas |
Rogers finished
his address with the following words: “There is a destiny that makes us
brothers None can live to himself alone. All that we send into the lives
of others, Comes back into our own.” |
"This little
gavel, as I have said, is made out of the wood of the mantel in that
home where Paul Harris spent his boyhood days. There is an inlaid piece
of Charter Oak of Connecticut, and perhaps that may signify the
sturdiness of the Rotary movement. This gavel has a silver plate which
says:" To President Harry Rogers ROTARY INTERNATIONAL Ostende, Belgium, 1927 Made of wood from Paul Harris’ boyhood home by Junior Achievement Club Members of U.S.A. |
Albert, King of
Belgium, Rotary’s Royal Host, distinguished the Ostende convention by
his presence. |
Address by His
Majesty, Albert, King of the Belgian His Majesty, Albert, King of the
Belgians, arrived at the Kursaal, accompanied by his royal escort and
delivered an address of welcome |
The Crown
Prince of Belgium presented RI secretary Ches Perry with the... |
Officers Cross
of the Order of the Crown of Belgium |
Message from
Paul Harris - Thereafter, Vivian Carter, Secretary of R.I.B.I. read the
message from Paul Harris: “On earth peace, goodwill toward men”  |
| “The three
generals in command of the destructive forces are: Suspicion Jealousy
and Fear Let us stimulate and encourage the constructive forces and place in their command, the three greatest generals the world has ever known: Faith Love and Courage.”  |
“May we all,
Christian, Jew, Mohammedan, Buddhist, Confucian, Agnostic and Infidel
stand for once, shoulder to shoulder and humbly, reverently, hopefully
repeat the words: On earth peace, goodwill toward men.” |
With the
exception of the House of Friendship, the entire Convention Organization
was located in the Kursaal and the auditorium was used for all
Convention Meetings |
In Memoriam Secretary Chesley R. Perry spoke in memoriam: “Representative of all our comrades who have gone from this life during the past year, I mention one by name – Albert S. Adams – who once held the highest office in Rotary.”  |
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