Retiring secretary praises efforts to rebuild Rotary membership
“I’ve had 11 wonderful years”
A well known Shropshire Rotarian who has been his club’s secretary for a record 11 years has announced he is standing down from the role at the end of the month.
The retirement of Shrewsbury Severn Rotary’s secretary Gareth Watkins marks the end of an era which has included challenging Covid years when the club was unable to meet.
“The big event during my tenure as secretary was Covid which I look back on as a time which devastated our membership,” Gareth, 75, recalled.
“We dropped from a membership of 44 to 24 during and immediately after the pandemic. People either resigned their membership or decided they couldn’t be Rotarians any longer.
“After a few years with membership in the upper teens it is full credit to our past president David Morris and current president Johnathan Callwood that membership has been rejuvenated.
“There has been a strong commitment to revitalising membership and we are now starting to climb our membership numbers with the current figure at 24 - and a confidence that this will continue to grow.
“There is optimism within the club that we will be able to get back to beyond 30 in the very near future.
“This would make Shrewsbury Severn the most vibrant Rotary club in Shrewsbury – by far.”
He said the last two presidents, David and Johnathan, had brought a ‘new vigour’ to the club, particularly through increasing membership, both on an individual and a corporate level.
“There is a significant hope that this will continue well into the future and I am confident as a club we can get our membership back into the upper 30’s.
“The great hope now is that with good people coming in and the club in good, capable hands, we can look to the future with confidence which is one of the reasons I consider the timing right to hand the mantle to someone else.
“They have been 11 wonderful years as secretary and I’ve enjoyed every minute of them.”
His record with Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club includes sending out 500 sets of meeting minutes which are all recorded and overseeing the club’s affairs at four different venues.
His perspective of a good Rotary secretary: “Keeping all the membership fully appraised of what’s going on in the club. Having good indicators, reasonably good people skills and, most importantly, an ethos of wanting to keep people fully informed and fully engaged with what is going on in the club at any particular time. I would like to think I have brought a degree of that to Shrewsbury Severn Rotary.”
Since Gareth joined Rotary in July 2008, Shrewsbury Severn has had four secretaries with his stint of 11 years by far the longest, representing 61% of his time in the club during which he has served 10 presidents.
He added: “It is now time for other people to step up to the mark. The club has been in existence for 39 years and I’ve been secretary for a quarter of that time. I’ve had 11 wonderful years.”
He was president in 2013 and has subsequently held the roles of secretary, Foundation chair, youth lead, sleigh co-ordinator, Tree of Light co-ordinator and charity trustee.
Prior to his retirement in 2006, his professional career was a pharmaceutical chemist which was spent with Boots with whom he became acquisitions manager looking to buy small pharmacy chains around the Midlands.
Said current club president Johnathan Callwood: "Gareth is legendary in Rotary circles – he is the most revered Rotarian I have come across.
“He has literally kept this club in existence. Without his energy, enthusiasm and knowledge about our club we would not have the foundation upon which we now build.
“He has the intuitive sense to know how to suggest ways to deal with club business and I know I can always count on him. He is an important influence on my life as president and I hope he enjoys many years to come as a member of our club. A truly great human!
“Shrewsbury Severn Rotary owes him a huge debt of gratitude which I hope we shall honour in the coming weeks. We really do need to recognise his selfless service, not only to our club, but the Rotary movement as a whole.”
The Governor of the Rotary District of which Shrewsbury Severn is a member, Don Lovejoy, also paid his tribute.
“Gareth has been an excellent club secretary for over 10 years and is a very personable and professional Rotarian to deal with.
“His organisational skills through a very demanding and transformative period in Rotary history have enabled his club to be the excellent welcoming club it is today.”
Anyone wishing to know more about Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club can contact [email protected] or [email protected].