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THE VISIT OF PAUL HARRIS TO BELFAST

In 1911 the Belfast Club was the second to be started by Stuart Morrow. Paul Harris, on his first Rotary journey to Britain in 1928, made a special point of visiting the club on Tuesday, June 5, arriving in the city by ferry from Liverpool at 8.0.am. The arrangements made by the Belfast Club are worth looking at in some detail because they are typical of the excitement that an imminent visit by the movement's founder engendered, and the trouble that many clubs took to ensure that their visitor was given a welcome worthy of his status. In this instance, the club, according to its minutes, held a special Council meeting on the preceding Friday "to consider arrangements for welcoming Emeritus International Past President Paul P Harris on his arrival in Belfast by the Liverpool Boat on Tuesday morning.

 

Agreed that the President Dr George Lyttle, Past President Hugh Boyd and the Hon Secretary assemble at the Liverpool Boat at 8 o'clock on Tuesday morning, 5th inst. to welcome the visitor. Agreed that a Reception Breakfast be held in the Locarno Room at the Grand Central Hotel at 8.30 am and that time be given at the Monthly Business Meeting for Paul P Harris to address the members. It was decided that the Hon. Secretary be authorised to invite the Press to be present .........on Tuesday 5th June to report Paul P Harris' address only. Agreed that the Hon. Secretary should telephone Secretary of the Dublin Rotary Club and arrange time for arrival of guest in Dublin. Agreed that a dozen linen handkerchiefs with guest's autograph and one dozen ladies embroidered handkerchiefs be ordered....... for presentation. Arrangements for a motor run were held over till ascertaining the time our guest had at his disposal."

 

These arrangements were fairly comprehensive and the visit went as planned. On arrival at Belfast, Paul Harris was immediately taken to a breakfast reception at the Grand Central Hotel by the President. There he met several other members as well as those nominated by the Council. After breakfast, the group did a little gentle sightseeing in the city before returning to the hotel for lunch. 97 members including a group from the Londonderry Club sat down to lunch and, as the club minutes recorded, "when the meal was over, Mr Hooton Mitchell entertained the meeting with two songs which were greatly appreciated." Some internal business had to be conducted first, although it was agreed to postpone discussion on some matters until another day. It was then time for Dr Lyttle "in well chosen words" to extend "a cordial welcome to the distinguished visitor...Paul Harris, the President Emeritus of Rotary International." However, before Harris rose to speak, the members were asked to drink "to the toast of 'Paul Harris' to which the members cordially responded with musical honours."

His address to a joint meeting of the Belfast and Londonderry Clubs was on the theme of 'Rotary and Its Critics', the second of the two talks which he had prepared for this tour. His speech was again a pronounced success and many members felt that they had met a unique personality and one whom they would not forget readily. As the minutes of the meeting recorded, "On the conclusion of the address Past President Boyd in a felicitous speech presented to Paul Harris on behalf of the Club a box containing one dozen linen handkerchiefs.....and along with this, was presented a box of embroidered handkerchiefs for Mrs Harris. Our guest feelingly expressed his thanks and the Meeting then closed."

In the afternoon Paul Harris went first to the City Hall where he was welcomed by the Lord Mayor, Sir William Turner, a member of the Belfast Club, and then he was taken by car on a tour to the Giants Causeway. A well planned day was carried through with precision. Almost every club visited by Harris took similar action although records of Council decisions and details of their planning have only rarely survived. By contrast, there were occasions on which clubs did not have advance knowledge of any visit and had to improvise!

Basil Lewis

Also see www.rotaryfirst100.org/women/jeanharris for the life of Jean Harris

www.rotaryfirst100.org for all about our founder
 

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