PROGRAMS OF ROTARIANS - Rotary Down Under

INNER WHEEL
Inner Wheel is one of the world’s largest women’s organisations with over
99,815 members in over 101 countries and geographic regions.
The aim of Inner Wheel is to promote personal growth and enthusiasm to
better serve the community, while more formally, the Objects of Inner
Wheel are to promote true friendship, to encourage the ideals of personal
service and to foster international understanding.
Membership is primarily made up of female relatives of Rotarians and Inner Wheel members
but provision is made for some women to join without any Rotary association.
The Manchester Club in England, formed in 1924, provided the name and model rules upon
which the Inner Wheel movement is based. The emblem is a small wheel contained within
the Rotary Wheel, hence the name Inner Wheel.
During 1931 the first Inner Wheel Club was chartered in Australia at Ballarat, Victoria. This
was closely followed by the charter of an Inner Wheel Club at North Sydney in 1932. There
are now total of 14 districts in Australia, two in Queensland, six in New South Wales, three in
Victoria, one each in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania and non districted
clubs in Darwin, Canberra-Belconnen. The membership in Australia is 3,800.
In 1936, the Inner Wheel Club of Napier was formed and Inner Wheel began in New
Zealand. Napier was New Zealand’s solitary club for many years until Taumarunui formed in
1947. The 1970’s and 1980’s saw a burgeoning of Inner Wheel, particularly in the South
Island with New Zealand’s first District, 298, formed in 1971.
Inner Wheel New Zealand now has 5 Districts.
The first International President from the Southern Hemisphere, in fact outside Europe, was
Gwen Davies from Parramatta, NSW in 1975-76. Since that year, Gwen Bowman from
Belmont, NSW in 1992-93, Lovise Richardson from Sutherland, NSW in 1998-99 and Carole
Buchanan from Berwick, Victoria in 2001-02 have been International Presidents.
New Zealand has produced three International Presidents – Alison Dowson 1988-89 and
Beth McNeill 1996-97 and Carole Young for 2012-13.
Two international conventions have been organised in Australia. The first in May 1976 was
held at Willoughby Town Hall, NSW and, the second, held at the Convention Centre, Darling
Harbour, NSW in October 1993. Both these conventions were a great success with support
from all members. An outstanding convention was held in Christchurch, NZ in May 2006.
Contacts:
Australia
IWA President Margaret Whitchurch 2012/13
T: +61 7 4927 3635 E: whitchur@bigpond.net.au
New Zealand
IWNZ President Carole Haigh 2012/13
T: +64 7 855 3340 E: IWNZPresident@gmail.com
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