New leadership took the helm this month for the Rotary Clubs in Greater Victoria.
The new president of the 106-year-old Rotary Club of Victoria is Gerald Pash. The Sidney Rotary Club, established in 1946, will be led by Ian Morely. Robert Nemish will lead the 61-year-old Saanich Club.
The seven other clubs, formed in 1974, will be led by: Joan Firkins of Oak Bay, Peter Baillie of Victoria Harbourside, Ryan Windsor of Brentwood Bay, Sam Purdy of Sooke, Ian Brown of Sidney by the Sea, Lorne Olson of Westshore and Michael Brar of Downtown Victoria.
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Joan Peggs, of the Oak Bay club, and Murray Tough, of the Victoria Harbourside club, are assistant district governors — providing wide area support to the 10 Rotary Clubs in Greater Victoria, which have approximately 500 members.
Rotary, established in Chicago in 1905, exists today in more than 160 countries with 1.2 million members in more than 35,000 clubs.
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Following the club motto — ‘service above self’ — Rotarians have six areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention or resolution; disease prevention and treatment; water and sanitation; maternal and child health; education and literacy; and economic and community development.
Clubs also provide funding and hands-on service support for a variety of local projects such as the Victoria Food Rescue Network. For more information on the Greater Victoria Rotary Clubs visit rotaryvictoria.org.
kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca
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