When I joined the Rotary club in Kemptville in the early 80s I was pleasantly surprised to discover I had a<ached myself to what was known at the ?me as a ‘’singing club’’. We had Rotary songbook and for 10 minutes at the beginning of every meeting, the sergeant at arms would lead the club in a rousing sing-a-long. Here are the lyrics of one of the club favourites.
Sing a song to Rotary
Shout till the rafters ring
Stand and give a cheer once again Let every loyal man now sing Here’s to all the happy hours Here’s to the cheerful days
Here’s to Rotary forever
It’s memory in our hearts always
It was really fun to sing, but at the time I was singing it, I had no idea how deeply those Rotary memories would impact and shape my life, nor how deeply the relationships made through Rotary would imprint themselves on my heart.
Looking back with nostalgia at those ‘’happy hours,’’ my mind drifts back through hundreds of hours invested in community projects. From raising money in Sudbury for local food banks, planting trees to help reforest Rotary park, and picking up garbage along the road, to serving high tea, and participating in the annual ‘’huitres et mervielles’’ (oysters and wonders) fundraiser with the Club Rotary de Québec, it is evident to me how much Rotary has contributed to my life.
Yet it isn’t the events that have marked me as much as the people I have shared them with. Picking up garbage in the rain, along the highway near Sudbury Ontario was quite honestly a miserable job, however doing it with a fellow Rotarian who had become one of my deepest and most trusted friends, brought the joy of Rotary fellowship to every slogging step. This friend, Rick Van Oort died suddenly in 2015 and today I would give almost anything for a chance to work with him again.
As I write this, I am certain that many of our club members could add countless stories of how deeply Rotary has enriched their lives with both meaningful relationships and opportunities for service. Experienced Rotarians, I encourage you this month to take ?me to reflect on those memories with gratitude, and new Rotarians I encourage you to get out there, participate in projects, build relationships and build your own memories.
As my old sergeant at arms used to love to say please join me in a song.
Sing a song to Rotary
Shout till the rafters ring
Stand and give a cheer once again Let every loyal man now sing Here’s to all the happy hours Here’s to the cheerful days
Here’s to Rotary forever
It’s memory in our hearts always
