While our 46,000 clubs consisting of 1.2 million Rotarians all share a commitment to community service, the experience, focus and dynamics of each club is unique.

Becoming a Rotary member connects you with a diverse group of professionals who share your drive to give back.

Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. Each year, Rotary members invest hundreds of millions of dollars and countless volunteer hours in sustainable, community-based solutions to promote health, peace, and prosperity in communities across the globe.

Rotary combines global reach, local resources, and highly skilled volunteers with a funding structure that distributes US$200 million annually to provide clean water and sanitation, support education, prevent and treat disease, save mothers and children, grow local economies, promote peace, and protect the environment.

As part of its community service, Rotary Club of Taree holds annual fundraising golf day sponsored by local businesses on Australia Day for the last 23 years, headed by Rotarian Kevin Sharp and team. This year Rotary Club of Taree raised more than $9000 and these were donated to support our three local organisations, Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Australian Children Music Foundation and Taree Eisteddfod.

For more than 30 years, Rotary has been the driving force in the effort to end polio worldwide. Alongside our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we have achieved a 99.9 per cent reduction in polio cases, with less than 150 cases of wild polio reported in 2020 compared with 350,000 a year in the late 1980s.

Our members have contributed $2.4 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than three billion children in 122 countries from this paralysing disease. Today, two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

For 117 years, Rotary members have been addressing challenges around the world. It started with the vision of one man - Paul Harris.

The Chicago (United States) attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on February 23, 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities. Rotary's name came from the group's early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of its members.

Thirty two years later on May 25, 1937, the Rotary Club of Taree was born initiated by 19 charter members during a time when Taree had only 4500 people, Martin Bridge was yet nonexistent and the highway was made of gravel. The southern and western entrances to Taree were connected by punt at Glenthorne and Tinonee. Dairying was Taree's main industry.

Rotary quickly grew in the Manning Valley and, while still with only one club at the time, membership grew to a peak of 80 business and professional men.

Now on its 85th year, Rotary Club of Taree, a club of 35 members, meets every Monday from 6pm at Club Taree and welcomes prospective new members, guests and visitors.

For more information, visit www.tareerotary.org.au

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