Bill McAllister: Rotarians have played a key role in the tapestry of Inverness city life
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A body which attracted such different celebrities as Dr Helen Keller and Matt Busby to Inverness, while also discussing a local sea serpent 90 years ago, is nudging towards the end of its centenary year.
Provost Donald MacDonald welcomed the British cabinet to their historic 1921 meeting in Inverness Town House. His two sons played football for Clach and he acted as guarantor to enable the club to move to Grant Street Park. MacDonald also found time that year to become the first president of the Rotary Club of Inverness – and members were delighted when he was knighted during his presidency, for his efficient arrangements for the cabinet meeting.
Inverness-shire Sheriff Clerk A Chisholm was the first vice-president with EG Critchley as secretary-treasurer and Courier proprietor Evan Barron on the committee.
By 1926, members met in La Scala cinema and £9000 had been raised for charity, including for the Royal Northern Infirmary.
The club, which winds up its celebrations with a civic reception on June 22, has performed a plethora of good deeds down the decades, becoming a relatively unsung but significant contributor to local life. In 1929, members debated on whether there should be a Kessock Bridge built while the next year local member JR McAvoy gave a talk on “The Sea Serpent in Loch Ness”.
In 1932, Dr Helen Keller spoke at a club meeting in the Waverley Hotel. Born blind and deaf, she developed skills never previously matched by any similarly disabled person, became a celebrated author, set up a two million dollar fund for blind people, and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union.
Club founder and noted local photographer Joseph Cook, the third president, described Keller’s Inverness address as “ moving and inspiring... we felt we had been in the presence of one of the wonders of our generation.”
During Word War II, members trained as air raid wardens or voluntary “intelligence officers” and when an all-star military select played at Kingsmills Park, the Rotary lunch guests were Manchester United legend Matt Busby, Hearts and Scotland attacker Tommy Walker and England goalkeeper Frank Swift.
Members chipped in five shillings each in 1927 to raise £12 for a President’s Badge, which was stolen during a break-in at the La Scala tearoom in 1941, the insurance company refusing to pay out as it had been left on a table!
Local builder Hector MacVinish was president for the 50th anniversary dinner in 1971. That same year Polio Plus, UK Rotary’s most ambitious venture, was launched and the Inverness club has been a prolific fundraiser over 50 years.
“We liaised with Harry Gow for a special Cupcakes against Polio launch with all the proceeds going to the charity”, said accountant Alan Nelson, the first person to be Inverness Rotary president twice. “For every £1 we raise, the Gates Foundation adds £2, so it’s extremely effective and now polio is only a major problem in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Since 1971, the branch has funded three local young people every year attending the Royal Youth Leadership Association annual get-together.
Banker Jim Cooper was president when the 75th anniversary milestone was marked in 1996 and he presided over the first three women members – Gill Silver, Jean Ramsey Smith and Sharon Mackay – being admitted. The Inverness branch of the Inner Wheel, the Rotary’s female partner, is one of the UK’s largest.
The centenary has been marked by a tree planting, a special flower bed display and installing seats at Cavell Gardens. A dinner raised £10,000 for local charities
Alan Nelson, the first person to be Inverness Rotary president twice, said: “We’ve set aside a four-figure sum to install the Rose Window, once an Academy Street landmark, to its new home at Inverness Castle. We feel it’s important that local people see it again. We’ve also set aside £2000 for UHI students who can’t afford books they need.”
Alan added: “Inverness Rotary Club will start its second century in good health, though we’re keen to attract some younger people in the business community.”
A century of fundraising and helping good causes has ensured that Inverness Rotary Club remains an enduringly bright thread in our community tapestry.
Sponsored by Ness Castle Lodges.
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