The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

On Thursday 7th September we welcomed our own member Chris Maddox to speak to us. The title of Chris' talk was 'The good, the bad and the ugly.' Chris began by reminding us of the first Rotary meeting in Chicago in 1905 when Paul Harris and a few of his local professional friends met. Their idea of starting Rotary Clubs spread among professionals working in cities, with an aim to serve their communities. Rotary members made a significant contribution to during World War 1 and the subsequent years, when there was a financial crash, austerity, strikes and no state social benefits. The Rotary movement expanded into towns with more clubs being formed,  again to serve local communities. The increase in TV ownership  and access to the internet brought both 'local' and  'international' news into homes. Rotarians now began helping to get aid to the people of poorer nations, and continues to this day. All these 'good' works continue to receive support from Rotary clubs. There were however, warning signs of Rotary membership decline. Younger generations are more focussed on Climate Change, Mental Health issues on which they are informed through podcasts, videos and influencers. They are less inclined to join their local  Rotary or Lions Club. Chris' personal view is that this is leading to a 'bad' outcome for recruiting new members. As an example of 'the ugly' Chris said the gender issue and resistance to having female members join a club gives a poor impression of Rotary as an organisation. In conclusion, Chris said since becoming a Rotarian in the 1980s he had enjoyed good times through working in his community, making international visits and hosting Group Study exchanges.