HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1980-02-14, Page 22Page
Shortly after the .end of the First World
War something happened 'to Harold :Allin
Rogers which today affects .More than
18,000 people.
He was rejected for membership in the
Rotary Club.
Not that Rotary had Much :choice in the
matter; young Hal, wanted to belong to a
service club and chosethe club his father
belonged to. ,
Because they were in the same -line of.
business, Rotary had to say "sorry". -
It was a time for readjustment for a
young man back in Hamilton aftereliving
with the companionship of other young
men servingtheir country overseas, so
instead of feeling sorry for himself, he got
together with eleven other men over
dinner ,at the Namking Cafe.
That might, the Kinsmen club was born.
Today, there are more than 18,000 Mem-
bers in 600.clubs across Canada, not to
mPntion Kinettc, K -40 -and -K- Ette b .
JUNIOR CLERK,
Hal Rogers was born in London, Ont, in
1899 and went Soworkas a junior clerk
with the Home Bank of Mondale, Ont. But
when his father, Charles Frederick Rogers.
took over management of a plumbing and
heating supply business in Hamilton, Hal
joined the staff and prepared himself for a
sales career..
Two months Later, with the First World
War in its second year, Rogers enlisted
and was added tothe muster roll of the
Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. Over-
seas, he saw action wall the 54th Kootenay
Battalion. •
Corporal Rogers was gassed at Pasch-
endale but continued active duty until.
,wounded, at A, -miens Aug. 8, 1918. He was
sent to, England i and roturned home to
Canada in January 1919. ..
He wasted no;'time in resuming his sales
career but began to miss the company of
men„ his own age. It was then his chance
encounter«with the Hamilton Rotary Club
• took place.
5Q. MEMBERS A.
"The first club project in Hamilton. was
weicoming young men to the city," Rogers
recalls, a •
Club members made contact with new- •
comers in Hamilton industries, who were
told about the .club and -Welcomed to the
city,
"A number of them joined the club but
we put' no pressure on them to do so. Our
main concern was to „nuke things, easier.
for them in a strange city."
.T.b f f f1 L hatte 1ateas..Feb..'20,-1920.
In 1921, one of the new Kinsmen moved to
Montreal and a 'club waormed there.
That year, the first national convention —
of sorts -- was held when the two clubs met
in Hamilton, •
The same sort- of process applied to
'Toronto and: Vancouver — by 1924, there
were four clubs.
Then Winnipeg in time for a« national
convention in that city in 1926 when
Kinsmen voted to remain a national
organization, adopt a constitution and
bylaws and fix the age for active member-
ship, at 40.
Fromthen, the organization' spread
across the country. •
"Like myself, the. founders of these new
clubs. were seeking friendship and the
Percy Dawson, whose name appears
among the 11 credited with founding the
Kinsmen Club, took part in a founder's
night at the Hamilton club last year: The
club can boast being the birthplace of the
Kinsmen movement. With the birthplace
banner are DaAwson and Joe Cans'tantine,
last year's president of Club No. 1, which
got its start at the Namking Cafe Feb. 20,
1920. .
opportunity to take part in worthwhile
community endeavours with other service -
minded young men,"' Rogers says.
By 1927 there were 12 clubs. In 1928, tour
clubs in Saskatchewan called Eclectic
Clubs, whose aims andobjectives were.
' similar to the Kinsmen, joined ,the associ-
ation;
By.the end of 1920;there were 24 clubs.:
In 1929, the clubs were formed into five
districts under governors": and. 'district -
officers. By 1936, there were seven
districts,
In 1934, at: the nationalconvention in
Victoria, B.C., a full-time general secre-
tary was approved. Past National Pres-
-.Went S. H. (Banty) Bantick was named to
the post Jan. 1, 1935,
1n .1939, the focus of the club's commun.;
ity work shifted dramatically,. Three
—eeks after war was declared, hundreds of
Kinsmen signed u and a war seryj, „r,,.,,
comm"-i"t ee was' orrne '
WAR EFFORT
The first mobile dental clinic in the
British army was built"and financed by
Kinsmen, Sixty-five tong. of ` magazines
were shipped to the merchant marine.
Rostess houses were built for wives and.
families. ..of . troops at Shilo, Man. and
Debert, N,S.
Throughout the war, Kinsmen war
savings stamps were sold at a peak rate of
$225,000 per week. -
A 114ilk-for-Britain, fund raised close to $3
million; resulting in 50 million quarts of
milk being shipped to the children of Great -
Britain and $106,000 was raised for food
parcels, for Britain.
Kinsmen had'come of -age,, the hard way.
From that time on, community and world
service were in the forefront of Kinsmen
activity. .
A cancer scholarship fund was set 'up -in
1949. Then, major donations were made to
flood -ravaged areas: Winnipeg in 1950;
Europe in 1952-53; .Hurricane Hazel's path
in Southern Qntario in 1954; Frejus in 1960;
and `Hamburg in 1962:
Kinsmen. involvement in disaster relief
continues to this day with major contribu
'-Minns in such areas as the Woodstock
tornado and the Dover flood relief last
year.
MEDICAL RESEARCH
In addition,the.organization has become
increasingly involved in medical research
funds-- mental retardation, cystic fibrosis
and others, •
By 1945, when Kinsmenhelpedfound the
World Council- of Young Merl's Service.
Clubs now represented in 30 countries; the
association could boast 150 clubs across
Canada. In the nine years which followed,
the number of clubs had doubled to 300 in.
1956 with 10,000 members.
By 1975, the 500th club was' chartered
with 16,000 members and in 1979, the 600
mark was passed with a .membership of
17,348.
• P: N. (Pete) Hanly became executive
director in 1968.
On Feb. 20m, 1979, the 50th anniversary
of the club's founding, the Kinsmen
National Institute on Mental Retardatipn
was officially opened in Toronto. More
than $400,000 had been raised by members
across the country for the facility.
Three days off the mark, un Feb. 23 of
this year; theassociation planned to open a `'"•
new national headquarters, a three-storey,
14,000 square, foot building on the outskirts
of Cambridge, Ont:
GOOD MANAGEMENT
Kinsmen try to run their organization
with simplicity and good management as
their goal.
•v
�L RO ERS-
. Founder
While each club is run asan independent
unit, with autonoiwy over financial and
administrative matters, the association as
a while has authority over how the clubs
may operate as outlined in the constitution
and bylaws., ,
Each club belongs -to a zone, There are
currently as few as four and as many as 15
clubs in the 73 zones.
Each zone is governed by a district
deputy governor elected in .the spring of -
each -'year. He appoints an executive to
help him `carry out administrative and
• executive duties within the zone.
Zones make up districts; each governed
bya district governor who is first elected a •
vice -governor at district conventions dra, -
special meetings.
There are eight districts determined by
geographic areas.
The national president is elected at
national convention annually and is tradi
tionally the national {ice -president from
the previous -year. He appoints up to four
directors and a national Kinette o ordin
ator. •
The national president, national direct-
ors, . vice-president and immediate past
president •are members of th national
executive. committee. `.
Each district governor plus members of
the national executive committee are
members of the national council which
meets three times a year.
SAME OBJECTIVES
Despite the complexity of the -associ-
ation today compared with 60 years ago,
Hal Rogers says he feels the aims, object-
ives and the spirit of the organization
haven't changed.
At the founding of the club "we, as young
men, dreamed dreams and with our
dreaming combined activity with fellow-
ship in building the organrzation'the vision
of those -years inspired."
"Through all the years that have
followed, Kinsmen have characteristically
and ambitiously anticipated the future and
have interpreted their kinsmenship in a
sharing—and long -living fellowship and in a
dedicated, continuing service to their
respective communities, their country,
and through the war years, to 'the
'Commonwealth and to all free people."
;'As we have grown from that small
roup of 'originals' at the charter night in
192u, to a nation -wise organization of
young men and young women, so have we.
all developed and enlarged our vision, our
activity and our service- to others." -
Mr. Rogers himself lives in retirement
in Toronto and stili enjoys participating in
national conventions, special Kinsmen
events and community work.
COMPLIMENTS OF
TIRE & AUTOCENTRE
Huron Business
Machines
ALBERT STREET
CLINTON
Phone: 482-7338
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