FORMATION
Rotary International’s first presence in Western Jamaica was established with the formation of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay in 1961. From that time onwards, the possibility of a second club was contemplated a number of times, but it was not until 1989 when serious consideration was given to such a venture. Two years after, and with the encouragement of Past District Governors Al Casserly and Barry Rassin, Past President, George Palmer who had recently formed the District’ Foundation Alumni Association, was asked to spearhead a committee for a new club’s formation.

With the support of many Rotarians of the "Mother" Club, in January 1992, George Palmer presented to the Rotary Club of Montego Bay a proposal for the sponsorship of a new Club. The reasons given were; the city possessed the population to expand Rotary’s presence through another club and the convenience members would gain by having easier opportunities of "Making-up" by not having to undergo lengthy distances at night to other Clubs in Western Jamaica to do so. At that time, attendance regulations were more severe and members were very aware of the risks regarding the loss of membership through unavoidable absences. The President at the time was Ripton MacPherson who gladly accepted the idea of a new club and gave the proposal his Club’s blessing. The proposition was made to the District Governor and within weeks George Palmer was appointed his Special Representative in the formation of a new club.

DGSR George Palmer, as he became known, chose Max Southby and Duncan Sharp, who are now Past Presidents of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay, as his assistants in the creation of the “New Club Formation Committee”. Work started early in February 1992 with a formal invitation dated 11 February 1992 to fifty-seven men in and around the city of Montego Bay. On 25 February 1992, the following resolution was presented and passed at the meeting of the Sponsor Club:

WHEREAS the Rotary Club of Montego Bay has undertaken to sponsor a new Rotary Club in Montego Bay hereafter called the Provisional Club and that Provisional Club share territorial boundaries of the Sponsor Club,
BE IT RESOLVED that we the Sponsor Club, under Article 1 Section 1(C) of the By-Laws of Rotary International, agree to EQUALLY share the territorial limits assigned to us by Rotary International with the Provisional Club.

The first meeting of the Provisional Club was held on Thursday 27 February that year at 6:30 p.m. at the Ironshore Golf & Country Club, Rose Hall. On the agenda were eleven items:
1. Introductions
2. Object of Rotary & the 4-Way Test.
3. Rotary International’s Mission.
4. Rotary International’s District administration.
5. District Assemblies & Conferences.
6. Attendance requirements.
7. Dues to Club, District & R.I.
8. Time and venue for meetings.
9. Membership rules & requirements and meal arrangements.
Twenty responded, a good turn out since the Committee expected no less than a 33% response.

Meetings of the Provisional Club continued to be held weekly under the chairmanship of George Palmer and before long a core of thirty or so men became regular attendees. Among the first considerations were a name for the Club and a design of its banner. A few names were suggested but DGSR George recommended including “Montego Bay” as part of the name especially since he sought to have the new Club’s territorial limits shared with those of the sponsor club. This was accepted and adopted. He also proposed the main theme in the design of the banner, i.e. the four historical palm trees on the Rose Hall estate, while other members incorporated popular scenery and activities of the area. The name of the new club was adopted at the fourth meeting, “The Rotary Club of Montego Bay-East”.

DGSR George Palmer presided at all meetings of the Provisional Club until the installation and Charter of the new club. Needless to say, the topic at all meetings was Rotary information and, before long, most of the “new Rotarians” knew significantly more of the organization than most members of their Sponsor Club.

Putting together of a new club involves hard work and commitment by its sponsors and supporters. Recognition must be given to Max Southby, Duncan Sharp, Charlie Braham (dec’d) Barry Rassin, George Henry, Pishu Chandiram, Atilla Becsy and Mohammed Adldoost, all of whom gave, not only of their time, but also talent in the successful development of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay-East. The Club was admitted into the world fellowship of Rotary International on 22 June 1992 with George Holloway, J.P., as the Charter President. On that day, a part of the duties of the DGSR ceased but for twelve more months George Palmer was assigned to the new club to serve in the capacity of “Past President”.

On 8 August 1992 at a formal “black-tie” banquet at the Holiday Inn Hotel, the Charter was presented to George Holloway by PDG Barry Rassin as the only club formed in the short-lived District 4040. The Club continued to meet at Holiday Inn on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. for a number of years. A copy of the programme for the Charter Banquet appears on page #### of this booklet.

In its eleven years of existence, the Club has remained active though its vibrancy was challenged at times. Its continued success is founded on the solid foundation created and maintained by the Founder Members, most of whom have passed through the Chair. But one may also proudly say that in the case of every Rotarian who has journeyed through the Club in the past eleven years, the baton of Rotary has been well passed.

ACTIVITIES & PROJECTS
The first major community commitment undertaken by the Club was the District’s Fund Raising effort to assist in hurricane relief for the Bahamas. The Club sent its cheque for $12,000.00 as its contribution. Those funds were raised from direct contributions by members.

In its first year under the Presidency of George Holloway, the Club performed exceedingly well. Membership grew by 44% while the average attendance was 73% with only four members recording 100%. The Club started a tradition of collective worship by organizing annual church services. That year the Club made its presence felt at Mount Zion by securing the services of their Sponsor Club’s Volunteer Dentist to visit the village’s clinic once per week. This special arrangement was made via the mutual cooperation between the Rotary Club of Montego Bay and Rose Hall Developments. In exchange for accommodation for our Rotary Volunteer Dentist at The Palms resort, both Clubs agreed to "lend" the Volunteer's services at the Mt. Zion clinic on Wednesdays.

As the year went by, several other visible projects were implemented. Twenty-five desks and chairs were also presented to the all-age school at Mount Zion while fifteen such combinations were presented to the St. Augustine Anglican Church’s Mission at Coral Gardens. The Club continued to assist during that year with similar gifts to a number of schools. Mt. Alvernia received 25 desks and chairs; Flankers All-Age, 20; St. Francis Basic School, 20; and Junior Plus, 24 desks and chairs. The Club also got involved in poor communities with the distribution of 19,000 pounds of rice and 5,500 of peas. In the field of sports for youth, the Club furnished the Norwood Football Club with all gear for the game. The Club also participated in a joint venture with the Shawnee Mission Rotary Club and the Rotary Foundation in the Correctional Facility for girls at Granville, a few miles south of Falmouth. The Club assisted in establishing a library and a training centre with four new sewing machines. The Club’s major fund raising project came off with a “Soca-Bash” which netted over $82,000.00. And so its first year, a tremendous success in Service, came to an end: a trend having been set for its future.

The most visible project undertaken by the Club in its first decade of existence was the "Bike-A-Thon". This event, introduced by Rotarian Anthony Hall, developed into an international meet from its humble beginnings as a fun ride for members who owned bicycles. Additionally, many Rotarians were aware of the important health benefits provided by that means of exercise. A short rally, not a race, was arranged one Saturday morning for members to ride from Montego Bay to Round Hill and return. That day was bright with good weather and all assembled in the parking lot of the LOJ complex on Howard Cooke Highway. The bicycles were checked and off went Rotarians, members of their families, friends, businessmen and others. Disaster came when one of the members sustained a serious fall near Round Hill and so the return trip was abandoned. But of most significance was the interest generated by the fellowship and fun all had, with the exception of Rotarian Roland Byfield who ended up with bruises all over his body.

The Club, having aroused local interests while recognizing a potential for creating an annual event, decided to develop the ride into an annual fund raiser, but still keeping within the rally, a section for fun. Thus was created sections for professional riders and fun seekers. Having realized that professional assistance would be necessary to execute such a large event, the services and assistance of Miss Janice Hall, a social coordinator, were secured. During the following four years, the rally expanded and became a professional event on the calendar of national sports. There were sections for seniors, juniors, paraplegics casual riders and of course, professionals. The event attracted entrants from all over Jamaica and in one year, Cuban professional riders took part. The most touching scene in its third year was of a young female paraplegic who, with one hand, kept good pace in her wheel chair, alternating thrusts from wheel to wheel, as she navigated the five mile course, and finished: Ironshore to Montego Bay. Rotarians and their families manned the water stations throughout the route while support and assistance was provided by the Police and Health Department of St. James. Though the Club was forced to abandon the program three years ago, during its short existence, the Bike-a-Thon created much awareness of the Club’s presence in the community.

A number of projects undertaken by the Club during the period under review included many profound and important contributions to the community. Some of those never received publicity but they gave joy to both givers and receivers. Among such quiet donations were a wheel chair to a young boy at Hampden, Trelawny, Christmas treats for small children and the awarding of scholarships.

The "internal department" of the Club, Club Service, was very active in every President's administration. A number of "Ladies' Nights" and fun days were held, while interesting guest speakers were secured for most meetings. Since Guest Speakers are usually the main attraction for good attendance at meetings, many of them were carefully selected to talk on subjects of national interest and other topics affecting the lives of our citizens and members alike. They were recruited from both the local community and from outside Montego Bay. Indeed, on one occasion, a number of such "high powered' people were invited from American security agencies to speak on the effects of the drug trade on communities. Those included Jeffrey Robinson, a well respected writer and author of the best sellers, "The Laundry Men" and The Merger", William Bratton, former Police Chief of New York City, Lacey Wright, former Charge D'Affairs of the US Embassy in Kingston and several others experienced in international crime management. Regretfully, the involvement of many of our younger citizens in the illegal activity of narcotics, particularly the males, find this easy method of making money most attractive and sadly, one in which they have become totally consumed. Concerned individuals, including members of our security forces, were invited to those seminars on the subjects of drugs and crime, which were sponsored by the Club and held at the Wyndham Hotel.

Apart from the Mount Zion dental assistance, the Club was quite active, directly and indirectly, in other health programs. With the assistance of the Trelawny Outreach Program (TOP), a joint effort between the Club and Districts in Minnesota (operational for over eight years), medical and dental equipment valued at about US$120,000.00 was secured for the Falmouth Hospital. The Club also outfitted a dental clinic at Flankers and in co-operation with the Rotary Club of Montego Bay, acquired Rotary Volunteer Dentists and TOP Volunteers to attend there.

Community service was further extended to Mount Zion in 1999 with the provision of $100,000.00 for repairs to windows and general refurbishing. A similar amount of money was provided to two youth clubs for the purchase of cricket and football gear. The Police Department benefited with the provision of nine bicycles for their "hip strip" patrol, which according to citizens, contributed to the lowering of harassment by idlers. Indeed, in the Club's humanitarian extension programs, many other institutions were provided with assistance in one form or another. As the Club celebrated its tenth anniversary of service, added to its several beneficiaries were Unity Prep School which received classroom furniture, the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf at Lethe as they upgraded their facilities and the provision of books to several schools in the Parish of St. James.

Needless to say all projects require money. Throughout its short history, the Club embarked on several fund raising programs but of most importance were its efforts in raising money for the Rotary Foundation, that part of Rotary International which funds educational, humanitarian and health programs throughout the world. Indeed, the eradication of polio has resumed centre stage as the Foundation funds the program through WHO. In this department, the Club continues to play its part for which the benefactors have been awarded Paul Harris Fellowships. A list of those persons in whose honour support was given to the Foundation may be found elsewhere in this book.

In the field of education, the Club participated in The Rotary Foundation's Group Study Exchange when five representatives from the U.K. were lectured on the social, religious and general aspects of Jamaican life and entertained by members of the Club. Five students were sponsored by the Club to attend the World Affairs Seminar in Wisconsin, USA. The Club hosted a Vocational Career Day at which over 1,000 children attended.

In 2000, the Club extended Rotary's philosophy with the formation of a Roteract Club at the Community College and an Interact Club at Montego Bay High School. But of most importance to Rotary International was the sponsorship of a new club in the area, the Rotary Club of Falmouth, which received its Charter on 28 March 2002. From the outset, members of the Club supported the new group by regularly attending meetings of the Provisional Club for months right up to its day of acceptance into the worldwide fellowship of Rotary. The Rotary Club of Montego Bay-East also had the honour of having one of its members on the District's administration appointed an Assistant District Governor. This was Rotarian Lee Bailey who served in that capacity for three years. Through his dedicated performance, he earned the appointment of District Conference Chairman for 2004.

MEETING PLACES
Among the first concerns of a new club is the question of a "home". Because of Rotary's excellent reputation throughout the world as a humanitarian organization, many restaurants, hotels and clubs encourage Rotary to use their premises as the venues for weekly meetings. The situation in Jamaica is no different though some salesmanship is necessary for some situations. Having as a Charter Member, Rotarian Mohammed Adldoost, the General Manager of Holiday Inn, the Club was invited to use that hotel's facilities for its dinner meetings. After meeting at the Ironshore Golf & Country Club for a few months where good buffet dinners were served, the Club moved to the Holiday Inn. The buffet dinners at Holiday Inn were excellent, thanks to the General Manager, and many Rotarians of the Mother Club enjoyed dining there, not only for the cuisine but also as an evening out. The Club was forced to return to Ironshore when that hotel underwent extensive renovations. Because of a change in its system of hospitality service after the renovations, it was no longer convenient to return to the hotel and so another hotel opened its doors to the Club. In 1995 the Club moved its evening meetings to the Gloucestershire Hotel where it remained for a few years. Its location, on the hotel strip in the city, made it very convenient for many members. Both food and service were satisfactory there. The Club's next home after three years became Sandals Inn, also on the strip, but that move was short-lived, one of about a year. A more permanent venue was found at Coral Cliff Hotel where the Club met for over three years. A fire at that location caused major changes to the physical situation, thus after eleven years since formation, a complete circle was made. The Club returned to Holiday Inn where it presently meets. Installation meetings however, were never confined to the venues of its regular meetings. Other locations were chosen for reasons of space and ambiance such as the Wexford Court Hotel, Richmond Hill Inn and the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Venues of Rotary Club meetings do get additional exposure in the Rotary International's Directory which many travelling Rotarians consult when choosing places to stay for vacations or business trips: hence the additional bonus in advertising for Rotary meeting venues.

CONCLUSION
Rotary International, and in particular, the District must be proud of the performance of Rotarians of this Club who strived from its inception to make an indelible Rotary mark on the community in which the Club serves. As for those who benefited from the Club's several outreach programs, the kind hands, gestures and expressions of hope and kindness will forever be remembered. It is unfortunate that as time passes, we the benefactors tend to forget those little gestures or even dismiss them as insignificant. It is important that we record and remember in some fashion our appreciated beneficiaries whose "small" assistance meant the world to them.