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WALTER DRUMMOND -  AN EARLIER WIZARD OF OZ?

Walter Drummond was an Australian architect who visited the Rotary Club of Chicago in December 1913 while on a visit to that city.  While there, he asked Chesley Perry whether a Rotary Club could be set up in Australia.  Perry took him out to Comely Bank to see Paul and Jean Harris at their home and they were all very excited about the idea. Drummond visited the Harrises again later in 1914 to discuss the proposal, before returning home to Melbourne. 

As it happened, in February 1914, Charles Penwarden had written in his Rotary Club journal 'The Manchester Rotary Life' an article entitled "What is the use of a Rotary Club?"  Copies of this were sent around the Rotary world and comments were received from Russell Greiner, President of the IARC, from clubs in Madison, Wi, Belfast and Seattle among others and more interestingly from Chesley Perry, the Secretary of the IARC.

Perry's letter included the sentence:-  "Could you spare me a dozen copies of the February issue of your Rotary Life?  I want them particularly to send to some prospective clubs in Australia.  I want them to read your article. It is one of the best articles  which I have seen. I congratulate you upon it.   Yours Rotarily, Chesley R. Perry, Secretary IARC."    These comments suggest that development in Australia could well have started earlier than previously thought, except perhaps for the interruption of World War One.

During the war years, they all remained in contact but nothing could be done until 1920.  In February 1921 the board of the International Association of Rotary Clubs authorised Canadians Jim Davidson and Colonel Jim Layton Ralston to establish Rotary Clubs in Australia and New Zealand and they were given the name of Walter Drummond in Melbourne as their initial contact. As a result, Melbourne became the first club in Australia to be chartered, with Walter becoming its second secretary.

Paul Harris certainly had a high opinion of Drummond as evidenced by a blue spruce being dedicated to him in Paul's Garden of Friendship as the first such tree.  He also described Drummond as "one of his dearest friends"  (Walsh page 192) and he visited Drummond's parents in 1935  (Peregrinations2  pages 94 and 95) while he was in Melbourne. 

Full details of this can be found in Dr Owen Parnaby's 'A history of the Rotary Club of Melbourne', published by Melbourne University Press, September 2002.

Basil Lewis Rotary Global History Fellowship 11 July 2003

Paul recalls the first tree planted in his own "Friendship Garden" was in honor of the late Walter Drummond, second secretary of Melbourne. "..Many good will trees have been planted by Rotarians, including myself, in other cities in other countries, and many more doubtless will be planted, but the first of them all was Walter's tree." (Peregrinations II page 94) (also see "Friendship Trees")
 

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