Bundaberg Rotary is about to celebrate its 90th anniversary and officials are seeking help from the community to find the missing charter and preserve history.
President Matt Griffiths has kept himself busy for the past few months as he researches the history of the long-standing organisation and he hopes someone in the Bundaberg Region may have some clues to help solve a mystery.
“I am desperately looking for information from 1920 to 1930 because I can’t seem to find too much from this time,” Matt said.
“If anyone has photos, memorabilia or history of the Rotary Club of Bundaberg it would be appreciated.
“But what I really am keen to find is the original charter of the club and I am hoping somebody knows where it is.”
Matt said it was about 1978 when the club's original charter vanished from the Brothers Sports Club, and now more than 40 years later nobody seems to know its whereabouts.
“It was there one day and gone the next,” he said.
“It could be anywhere, even just sitting behind someone’s couch and they may not even realise.”
Matt said after the original charter went walkabout a replacement was made but it didn’t have the same detail or effect as the original.
He has spent numerous hours looking online and through library databases just for an image of the original charter, but without any luck and he's now calling for assistance.
“It (the replacement) was made in to a more modern version and not quite as artistic I assume, so I am desperately trying to track it (the original) down and if anyone has any clues, they would be most welcome,” he said.
“I’ve been busy compiling years of history to show during the 90th anniversary dinner and that would be the icing on the cake.”
Anyone able to assist Matt can email BundabergRotary@outlook.com.
Nine decades of helping Bundaberg community
The Rotary Club of Bundaberg currently has 18 active members and Matt said there was hardly a weekend that went by when the group wasn’t involved with something, from planning events at Agrotrend to supporting the community in one way or another.
He said being a volunteer could be a lot of work, but also very rewarding.
“We only have a small number of members but the work we achieve and the help we are able to give other organisation, such as Riding for the Disabled, really is astonishing,” he said.
“Our motto is family first, then career and then Rotary. If you have the spirit to give back to the community, you should think about joining.”
The 90th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Bundaberg will be held at 6pm on Saturday, 9 November at the Melbourne Hotel.
