The Rotary Club of Bega is celebrating its 60th anniversary on August 21.
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Current president Charlie Blomfield has kindly supplied a series of photographs collected by his late father, Rotarian Dr Ted Blomfield.
Dr Blomfield's collection dates back to the mid-1950s and includes many events of note in the Bega Valley like the building of the current Bega Hospital, and the Bega and Tathra bridges.
He has also chronicled many of the Valley's destructive floods and storms, as well as happier occasions like the Bega Show and Tathra surf carnivals.
Also included are photographs from Rotary gatherings from the 1960s and 70s, some of which are included in this special Rotary Club of Bega #ThrowbackThursday.
In future months the BDN will showcase more of Rotary's history in Bega in #ThrowbackThursday.
60 years of Rotary in Bega
THE Bega Rotary Club is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a special dinner on Thursday.
Past presidents have been invited and it promises to be a night filled with memories.
Here are just some of the many important contributions of this service organisation to the Bega Valley.
The Bega Rotary Club’s charter was presented on August 21, 1954 in District 971.
In 1955-56 it arranged school lectures for first aid, road safety, fire safety, beach and river safety and electrical safety, a practice it continued for some years.
In 1956-57 it established the Bega Society for Advancement of Cultural Activities and initiated 90 acres of Bega Common for Junior Farmers’ Experimental Farm and donated 34 heifers.
It also started raising funds for the Bega War Memorial swimming pool and this continued until the pool was built.
In 1958-59 it initiated the formation of Bega and District Old People’s Welfare Committee and awarded prizes to students of Bega High School and the convent for “Service to the School”.
Bega Rotary started paying for an old people’s matinee at the Kings Theatre and it continued doing so until at least 1965-66.
It provided agricultural scholarships for Bega High School for fourth and fifth year students in 1959-60.
It was busy during 1960-61 assisting with the State Surf Championships, a cemetery clean-up, Bega-Littleton exchange in conjunction with the Bega Show Society, an overseas uncle scheme and a careers’ night among some of its activities.
In 1964-65 it planted 48 Californian red woods in Bega streets, held a careers’ night and donated to the Bega band.
The tree planting continued the next year in Hill, High, Heath and Watson Streets.
In 1966-67 it sponsored two nurses from Malaya to train at the Bega District Hospital for four years.
There was a Rotary Ball in 1967-68 and 90 trees were planted at the Bega Lookout but were affected by drought.
Bega Rotary initiated a meeting to reconstitute the Historical Society to create a museum.
In 1968-69 trees were again planted in the town streets and at the lookout and money was donated to the Girl Guides hall, free hay for drought assistance and the geriatric unit at the hospital.
Another Rotary ball was held in 1969-70 and there was a scrap metal drive, and during apprentices’ week, 33 apprentices and 14 employers attended a club meeting.
The next year even more apprentices attended a meeting and the club established a children’s playground in the Civic Centre.
The very popular school driving course was started in 1971-72 and Rotary erected six park tables and seats and a swing at the Bega River Reserve.
In 1974 Rotary donated an electric cardiac monitoring machine to the Bega District Hospital and the Immanuel project in Indonesia.
It also helped with the feasibility study for the sporting complex at the old Bega saleyard site and the Bega Town Beatification scheme.
In 1975-76 it developed a children’s playground with the help of Rotaract and donated to the Bega and District Nursing Home appeal.
The club has established the local Volunteer Rescue Squad, sponsored 51 young students for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards providing leadership development, sponsored 54 young students to RYPEN personal development encouragement, sponsored 19 students in youth exchanges to other countries for 12 months and sponsored 31 students to national science and engineering schools.
It has also established a birth to Kindergarten reading program and managed a local bowel care program.
Since 2006 it has raised its funds by conducting a twice-yearly book fair.
Over the years it has made significant donations to the Bega War Memorial Swimming Pool, the Bega Swimming Club, the Bega District Band, girl guides and scouts, St Johns Ambulance, the Bega District Hospital, the Bega and District Nursing Home, the Bega District Rescue Group, Red Cross, Tulgeen, Royal Flying Doctor, Southcare Helicopter, Imlay Special Needs, RSL Youth Club, Bega Valley Shire Youth Club, Salvation Army, Bega Valley Advocates for Timor Leste, Bega Wig Library, Rural Fire Service, WIRES, and the Bega Valley Rescue Group.