MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay Rotary is a small, but dynamic club which has made a considerable footprint in the Mossel Bay community since the 1950s.
It has a positive impact on the lives of many individuals, organisations and institutions.
The club, currently led by past president Fiona Williamson, was recently visited by the governor of District 9350, Ian Robertson, and the area governor for the Garden Route and Karoo Rotary clubs, Sune Rupping.
District 9350 encompasses Angola, Namibia and the western part of South Africa. It comprises approximately 60 clubs and approximately 1 400 members and therefore, one of the largest districts on the African continent.
During this visit, the club bestowed the Paul Harris Fellowship on one of its members, Claire du Plessis. She was designated to receive this as a special expression of appreciation for her contribution to the club's activities.
Prestigious
The Paul Harris Fellowship is the highest meritorious award of Rotary. It is the Rotary Foundation's way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programmes. It is often designated to an individual as a tribute to him or her for demonstrating a shared purpose with the objectives of the Rotary Foundation.
Paul Harris was the founder and organiser of the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. He was founder of the Rotary idea and the first president of the worldwide organisation, Rotary International. Paul Harris died in 1947.
Upon his death, memorial gifts poured in to honour the founder of Rotary.
From that time, the Rotary Foundation has been achieving the noble objective of furthering "understanding and friendly relations between peoples of different nations".
In 1957, the idea of Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition was first proposed as a means to promote voluntary giving to the Rotary Foundation. Although the concept of making $1 000 gifts to the Foundation was slow in developing, by the early 1970s the programme began to gain popularity.
The distinctive Paul Harris Fellow medallion, lapel pin and certificate have become highly respected symbols of a substantial commitment to the Rotary Foundation by Rotarians and friends around the world.
"As Rotarians, we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world's most pertinent and persistent issues. Globally, our 35 000 members and huge number of clubs work together to promote peace, fight disease, grow economies and much more. We support a wide variety of causes, we connect with various partners and we serve the world in different capacities, on different platforms and at different levels. We are people of action," says Du Plessis.
Du Plessis honoured Rotarians, late Christine v Rensburg and Mika Luthcman, who introduced her to the club.
"A huge thank you to these two ladies who, on behalf of club, had the chat with me. I am eternally grateful for how the Rotary platform has impacted my life, but more significantly, how it has allowed me to impact, influence, uplift and empower members of the broader Mossel Bay Community."
'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'
