Sixty years of Largs Rotary Club was celebrated in grand style at a gala dinner in the Willowbank Hotel on a recent Friday evening (reports Drew Cochrane).
Local solicitor and longest serving Rotarian, Robin Mactaggart spoke of the great fundraising legacy of the Largs club which his father helped to found in 1958, reckoning that almost a quarter of a million pounds had been donated to good causes at home and abroad.
His father Alex, who also formed Mactaggart & Co. law firm in the town, had been inspired to begin Rotary by his friend, Jim Simpson who was very active in the organisation in Canada, being president of the main Toronto club.
Alex rallied round the business and professional men of Largs to start the club on June 25, 1958, being sponsored, as was required, by Ardrossan and Saltcoats Rotary.
Robin, a member since 1964, said: "The membership of the original club was drawn from people who generated a strong sense of purpose and activity. They devoted considerable time to the club with the result that it soon took its place as a force in district activities. The emphasis was on companionship, social activity and, of course, fund raising for charity."
He added that the inclusion of ladies into Rotary has been a great boon to the club because local ladies had made an immense contribution to the activities and energy of Largs Rotary "and long may that continue." Originally, it had been a men only organisation represented by police inspectors, teachers, bankers, local authority officials and members of all of the trades in the town.
"We have survived when other clubs have suffered and membership recruitment is still an issue but, as the Royal Marines say, we fight on."
The members, guests and partners were welcomed by Rotary president Ian Berwick who described the dinner as a magical occasion, recollecting years gone by and reflecting on the years ahead.
He thanked the sister clubs of Garnock Valley, Greenock and Hunterston (now merged with Ardrossan) for being well represented. Among the past presidents was Peter Grant who had won Rotary's highest award, the Paul Harris Fellowship, and had been a Largs baton bearer for the Commonwealth Games, marking his long organisation of the annual Fun Run. The Inner Wheel ladies were also thanked for their tremendous support while Drew Cochrane, chairman of Kelburn Windfarm Trust was noted for the continuous help to the Rotary Euroscholar and schools' partnerships.
District 1230 Governor Gary Loutit proposed the toast to the club saying it should not be underestimated that Largs had contributed a lot to the reduction of world-wide polio from 350,000 cases a year to single figures nowadays.
"You have proved our motto of service above self and you should be proud of what you have achieved over 60 years and continue to show what Rotary does.
Tributes were also paid by Jim Morton, Willie Clark and Danny Chundoo of the Hunterston, Garnock Valley and Greenock clubs.
After dinner speaker and former police Commander Iain Gordon served up a very humorous, entertaining speech while Largs secretary, the Rev. William Armstrong gave a specially-penned poetic grace, Diamond Spree, and past president Valerie Campbell gave the vote of thanks.
Pics: John Keachie.