by Chris Preston

To celebrate Rotary International’s 100th anniversary in 2005, five centenary bells were sent around the world.  One bell would visit 100 of the oldest remaining clubs.  The other four would circulate through the four regions of Rotary.  In 2003, at the RI convention in Brisbane, the first regional bell started it’s journey through the South Pacific.  Each of these bells would eventually come together at the 100 year convention in Chicago where Rotary first started.

 

The District 9780 committee in 2003 thought our district should do a similar idea and PP Chris Preston from The Rotary Club of Warrnambool Daybreak volunteered to design and craft a mounted bell and carry case.  This bell began it’s journey from DG Bob Furner’s conference in Mt Gambier in 2004 and over the next 12 months visited the 59 clubs in the district, finishing at DG Cathy Roth’s conference in Geelong in 2005.

The idea was that Clubs would send a delegation with the bell to pass onto the next club, hence fostering fellowship and friendship across 9780.  Each of the district clubs are listed in order of Charter on the back plinth of the bell stand.

The timber was selected from across district 9780: Redgum from north of the Grampians, Jarrah from an old railway bridge in South Australia, and Blackwood from the Otways.  The bell itself is a ship’s maritime bell which represents our coastal border of the district.

A carry case was also made, and this can be used as a lecture if needed.

District Governors’ names are engraved on plaques on the front of the carry case in addition to having them sign their names under the lid.

The bell is used to open district conferences, district assembly and any other important district event that Rotarians would like the bell for.