Ink Spot 4: 15 Key Events in the History of Maryborough Rotary

1. 1951: The Suggestion
•    1951 Hans Ebling (Rotary Club of Ballarat) suggested to incoming President, Bert Stohr that Maryborough could support a new club
•    Ebling appointed as Governor’s Rep. for the new club by DG Len Clarkson
2. 1951: Interviews
•    Ebling & Tom Boyle (recently moved to Maryborough from Ballarat) started interviewing prospective members
3. 1952 Feb. 14th: Organizational Meeting
•    Several Ballarat members attended first Organizational meeting
•    The Group met weekly up until Charter    
4. 1952 July 14th: Charter
•    Charter meeting on evening of July 14th 1952 in Maryborough Town Hall
•    Chaired by Bert Stohr (Ballarat)
•    Part of Rotary District 33
•    201 attendees saw 22 members inducted
5. First President(s)
•    Vern Benjamin elected as first president but had to resign
•    Frank Lowery took over and continued into next Rotary year
6. First Meeting Location
•    First meetings held at Harris’s Café in Nolan Street – next to Paramount Theatre
7. 1957: Move to the RSL
•    As numbers grew, meetings were transferred to RSL Hall in High Street in 1957
•    Meals provided by RSL Ladies for 60 years\
8. 1957: Became part of District 250
•    Linked with Castlemaine, Daylesford and many Melbourne Clubs
9. 1977: Rejoined District 978
•    Linked with Ballarat and Western Victoria again
•    District 978 became 9780 in 1991
10. 1980: First District Governor
•    Frank Lowery installed as District Governor of District 978 on July 1st
•    District Conference was held in Ballarat in 1981
11. 2002: First Female member
•    Sharon Fanning was inducted as the club’s first female member on December 5th 2002
•    Sharon transferred from a Rotary Club in the Northern Territory
•    Pieta McNaught was the first female nominated by our members and was inducted in 2005
12. 2006: Construction of "The Shed"
•    A “Hangar” built at the airport to store our trailers and equipment
•    The brainchild of past Rotarian Noel Quaife
13. 2006: Havilah Catering
•    When RSL Ladies disbanded in 2005, the club looked at alternative venues and catering options
•    Havilah Volunteer Catering Group was selected to provide meals at RSL
14. 2012: Move to Raglan Street
•    As RSL catering facilities deteriorated, club meetings moved to the Community Room at Havilah’s Raglan Street premises
15. 2015: First District Conference in Maryborough
•    The Club hosted the first District Conference in Maryborough at the Maryborough Town Hall during March, 2015