From Athens To Singapore: Making New Friends
AFTER A VERY LONG TIME (MAYBE LONGER THAN MANY OF US CAN REMEMBER), RCB AGAIN HAS AN INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE.
Our activities this year will circle largely around our – and 22 other Clubs – founding person: James Wheeler Davidson.
The RC Bombay was chartered on March 19th, 1929, largely thanks to the efforts of a single man.
WHAT JAMES WHEELER DAVIDSON HAS DONE FOR ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
Experienced adventurer James Wheeler Davidson was instrumental in expanding Rotary to other countries in the early years, embarking on journeys to distant lands that resulted in the chartering of 23 clubs in 12 countries from Greece to Thailand, inclusive of India and RC Bombay.
Davidson, who as a young man joined Arctic explorer Robert Peary’s second expedition to Greenland, travelled to Australia and New Zealand on his first trip for Rotary in 1921. A second and much longer journey took him through Asia and the Far East from 1928 to 1931. As a result, Rotary founder Paul Harris dubbed him “the Marco Polo of Rotary.”
Davidson was born in Austin, Minnesota, USA, in June 1872 and was educated at the Northwestern Military Academy. After the Peary expedition, he served as a correspondent covering the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. He stayed in Formosa (now Taiwan) to work for the U.S. foreign service for several years before being transferred to Manchuria, then to Shanghai.
In late August, he set sail from Montreal and headed for Asia by way of Europe, accompanied by his wife, Lillian, and teenage daughter, Marjory, on what turned into a trip of two-and-a-half years. On 12th March 1931, Davidson and his family set sail from Yokohama, Japan, and their adventure finally concluded when they arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 21st March
What RCB intends to do by furthering the JWD-spirit
Davidson started his fascinating journey into the largely unknown.
We intend – in a more contemporary context – to make something similar happen.
It could very well be the start of yet another fascinating journey.
The international committee will thus reach out to all other 22 Clubs and invite them for a “JWD-journey 2.0”
Such a journey could include the following joined projects / activities with the other 22 same rooted Clubs:
Knowhow-transfer of successfully executed service projects (environment, education, health, youth etc).
Joined meetings (especially during these troubled times where a lot happens on zoom and alike).
Fellowship: be part of the “Davidson community” and meet people from other walks of life that all have something special in common.
Many other avenues can be explored.
The idea is to be an active part of something that is bigger than just a Club-on-Club association.
The international committee will explore this together with the other 22 JWD-founded Rotary Clubs and identify common grounds.
We already have common roots through a visionary man that set sail nine decades back to explore new grounds.
Bringing together different Rotary Clubs will further our primary objective of being a truly service oriented community.
And, who knows: maybe we are able to set sail for new horizons in this community. Just like 91 years ago…
P.S.: “Making new friends” is the title of Lilian’s (JWD’s wife) book, containing her personal diaries on the journey. After all those years, it is still a suitable motto that has remained relevant through the years.
