Club History
A History of the Rotary Club of Kenmore
Our Club
Our Club was formed in April 1969 with 29 members and grew to 60+ members in the 1980’s. Currently our membership is around 40.
Our Club has sponsored 3 new Rotary Clubs and 6 Probus Clubs over the years.
We have been a very active and social Club with lots of fellowship including fishing trips, inter club cricket matches, progressive dinners and theatre parties.
The Club has hosted many eminent speakers at our meetings including 4 Brisbane Lord Mayors, members of the legal fraternity and social services.
Five Rotary District Governors have been elected from our Club.
Our Major Projects
We have made major financial contributions to the development of Kenmore State School Swimming Pool and Kenmore High Amphitheatre. We contributed to the restoration of the Brookfield Hall and, in manpower and financially to the redevelopment of Glenleighden School in Fig Tree Pocket, now known as Mancel College.
The Club has made significant contributions to the Wesley Hospital Breast Clinic Dept, Kenmore Ambulance and Rotary Australia Health Research Fund and the Foundation.
We support the Women’s Crises Support Centre at Ipswich, developing a new Children’s Outdoor Area and installation of a new cubby house and sandpit. This support continues.
Community Service
The Club has organised and hosted The Kenmore Australia Day Ceremony since 1997 and provided refreshments after the ANZAC Day March when it was held at Kenmore Village.
We participated in the Pullenvale Folk Festival in 2018 and sponsored the Sugarwood Music Festival at Bellbowrie in 2022 following COVID.
We have run in conjunction with our partners “The Containers for Change” scheme in our local area since 2018 and to date have saved 768,000 containers from landfill.
In conjunction with Kenmore Village the Club runs “The Community Pantry” and “Giving Tree” to collect groceries and Christmas gifts for deserving people in our communities.
Our Youth Programs
Over the last 50 odd years the Club has participated in the Rotary Youth Exchange programme and has either sponsored 50+ students overseas or hosted foreign students here. We have facilitated 55+ students attending Rotary Youth Leadership programmes or the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra.
The Club has been involved with the SolarBuddy programme for 10 years, partnering with local primary schools to provide JuniorBuddy solar LED lights to children in remote PNG villages. The lights are delivered to our schools in kit form, and the children, in year 5 or 6, assemble them, guided by their teachers and Rotarians. The children also write a short letter to the recipient of the light.
We have partnered with Kenmore State High School in assisting with their Youth Leadership Programme and Driver Awareness workshop. We have presented the Community Service Award to a year ? student since 1997.
Our members have supported Rotary Interact Clubs at Brisbane Boys College, Brigidine College and Kenmore State High and the Club has hosted Chapel Hill State School year 6 and 7 students earning their Rotary Junior Community Awards for many years.