History of the Rotary Club
of Launceston Tasmania
When the Rotary Club of Launceston Tasmania was
chartered in August 1924 the island state of Australia had a population
of only 200,000 and was planning the centenary of separation from New
South Wales in 1825. It was only a decade after the first aeroplane
flight to Tasmania and 12 years before a submarine cable would link the
state to mainland Australia, enabling telephone conversations from
Tasmania to Victoria. A depression, so severe that 50 percent of
breadwinners had no jobs, gripped the land and Sir Hubert Opperman set a
cycling record of five hours and fifty nine minutes along a blue stone
road from Launceston to Hobart ( more than 200 kilometres)
The leaders of commerce and industry at that time were fine,
benevolent, industrious and God- fearing men who with their families
typically attended church on Sundays, dressed in their best tailored
suits, wore felt hats and most of them smoked pipes. It was observed in
a book written by a club member Sir Raymond Ferrall that in those days
“only men who smoked a pipe were considered steadfast and trustworthy”.
So it was to a town of 30000 people that Professor W A Osborne and Mr
W A Drummond secretary of the then recently (1921) formed Rotary Club of
Melbourne Victoria brought the idea of forming a Rotary club in
Tasmania. They received little encouragement for several weeks until
they met (Sir) Doctor John Ramsay in Launceston and as a result of his
enthusiasm on February 18th 1924 the Rotary Club of Launceston came into
being and charter 1803 was granted in August of that year by Rotary
International.
Launceston had the honour of being the first Rotary club in Tasmania
and at the inaugural meeting a telegram was received from Sir Henry
Jones (the first president of the Rotary Club of Hobart), “forgiving
Launceston for robbing Hobart of its birthright”.
The club started with 25 members, men accustomed to lead, not follow,
to make their own decisions, to raise their own banner. For them their
Rotary emblem must be unique, different and memorable. A special meeting
was called and the platypus was unanimously adopted as the centrepiece
of the Rotary emblem for the Rotary Club of Launceston.
It was enthusiastically displayed and printed at every opportunity
and when the Club’s first president Dr. John Ramsay became Past
President for the second time, having served two terms 1924/25 and again
in 1926/27, his wife, to mark the occasion presented a Past Presidents
jewel and ribbon incorporating the platypus emblem. The jewel
disappeared for some time and in 1931 a second such jewel was presented
to the outgoing President at that time, Charles F Monds.
Rotary International for some time wrestled with the problem of how
to deal with an “improper” Rotary emblem being used by a Rotary Club on
a remote island off the South Coast of Australia and the Rotary
convention of 1932 issued a decree forbidding the “mutilation” of the
official emblem.
Fortunately, mail travelled slowly by steamer in those days and the
new Past Presidents jewel had been engraved and had begun circulating by
the time the word arrived. Almost half a century later the original
platypus surfaced again, about the time the affairs of Lady Ramsay’s
estate were being wound up. The first Rotary Club of Tasmania therefore
has two unique and precious heirlooms, one of which must be chosen and
worn as their badge of office by each new Past President.
