Our History
CHARTER [1960]
The Rotary Club of Singapore West (RCSW) received its charter from Rotary International on 1 March 1960 and is the second oldest Rotary Club in Singapore.
At 5.30pm on 6 November 1959, the first meeting of the provisional Rotary Club of Singapore West was held at the Blue Room of Prince’s Restaurant, with PDG Dr A W S Thevathasan of the Rotary Club of Singapore presiding. This meeting was observed by then District Governor Luang Sit from Bangkok.
During the first meeting of RCSW, the Club produced the first Board of Directors of Singapore West, comprising of Dennis Bindon as President, Mike Boyle as Vice President, Charles Morris as Secretary and Ng Cheong Ling as Treasurer.
GROWTH [1967 onwards]
By 1967, membership had grown to 60, and the Club had to change the venue of its weekly meetings to a bigger premise at the Hollandse Club. After a few changes in meeting venues since, Singapore West returned to the Hollandse Club in 2009 and held its meeting there till April 2017. Since April 2017, Singapore West holds Thursday meetings at the Singapore Island Country Club, Island Location.
The year 1967 saw the election of a RCSW Club Member, PP Tan Sri Dr Tay Teck Eng, to the office of District Governor of District 330, at that time a huge district covering the territories of Singapore, East and West Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Indochina.
In 1976, Singapore West produced its second District Governor in PP Tan Geok Tian. As Rotary grew in size in the region, the District was further subdivided, and in 1994, when PP Ben Chng became the third District Governor to hail from the Club. He was Governor of District 3310 which comprise the territories of Singapore, Johor, Melaka, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei. 24 years later in 2018, our Club produced its fourth District Governor in PP Henry Tan Kok Hiang as the Governor of District 3310.
FAMILY OF SINGAPORE WEST [1970s – 1980s]
The industrialisation of Singapore in the 1970s led to the rapid growth of working population in Jurong. This prompted Singapore West to charter its first daughter-club, the Rotary Club of Jurong Town to cater to would-be Rotarians working or engaged in business in Jurong. Six Singapore West Rotarians helped start the new club which received its charter from Rotary International on 11 June 1971.
Thereafter, Singapore West started two more new clubs. They are the Rotary Club of Queenstown, chartered on 6 February 1975, and the Rotary Club of Tanglin, chartered on 19 April 1984.
In August 1983, Singapore West had its first granddaughter-club when the Rotary Club of Jurong Town formed the Rotary Club of Pandan Valley. This was to be followed by two more granddaughter-clubs – the Rotary Club of Singapore South and Rotary Club of Bugis Junction – both of which were started by the Rotary Club of Queenstown. The Singapore West family has grown to seven clubs.
NETWORK & SERVICE [90s – 00s]
Believing that strong fellowship is a necessary condition to providing community service, Singapore West has always placed great importance on fellowship activities, both within the club, with fellow Clubs within District 3310 as well as with Sister Clubs in different Districts.
As of 2021, RCSW has 8 Sister Clubs, namely, Rotary Club of Bihoro (Japan), Rotary Club of Chang Puak Chiangmai (Thailand), Rotary Club of Cebu West (Philippines), Rotary Club of Dhonburi (Thailand), Rotary Club of Gobo (Japan), Rotary Club of Makati West (Philippines), Rotary Club of Panchiao North (Taiwan) and Rotary Club of Pudu (Malaysia).
Strong fellowships have enabled the club to successfully complete many service projects that have benefited many communities in the region. RCSW has actively supported community projects in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Taiwan, through the Sister Club partnerships in these countries.
Some examples of overseas projects include “Operation Smiles” – a project to surgically repair cleft lips of poor children in The Philippines; donation of fire trucks, and computers to communities in The Philippines; a Thai-English dictionary project in a rural community in Thailand; participating in a cross-country “Walk to End Polio” in West Malaysia, in partnership with our sister club in Kuala Lumpur. More recently, RCSW was involved in a Water Project for the Talibon II School in Bohol, the Philippines, where we funded the repair to the water system for the School.
LOCAL PROJECTS [90s – 00s]
Within Singapore, RCSW’s projects include active involvement and/or financial support in setting up of the Singapore Cancer Society, the Singapore National Eye Bank, and the Foundation of Rotary Clubs (Singapore) which runs the Rotary Family Service Centres. Singapore West is one of the larger donors to the Rotary Family Service Centre. Other Voluntary Welfare Organisations and community projects Singapore West has supported include Rainbow Centre, Asian Women’s Welfare Association, Bizlink, Rotary-Ayer Rajah Students’ Care Centre, Telok Blangah Community Centre, Kidney Dialysis Foundation, Parkinson’s Disease Society of Singapore, Assisi Hospice, Jamiyah Nursing Home, Society for the Physically Disabled, Society for the Aged Sick, St Theresa’s Home, Rare Disorders Society, St Andrew’s Mission Hospital, EQUAL_ARK, St John’s Ambulance Brigade, Willing Hearts Family Service Centre, SHINE Children and Youth Service, amongst many others.
Over the past 60 years of service, Singapore West has raised and disbursed millions of dollars to its beneficiaries.
Besides its annual community service projects that always start and end in a single Rotary Year, Singapore West has an ongoing and sustained programme that is not limited to just a single Rotary year. In 1990, its late Past president Ted di Ponti, upon his passing, bequeathed a sum of $250,000 to set up a Scholarship Fund in his name. It was his wish that interest earned from this principal sum be used to award scholarships to deserving students from the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological Institute (now known as Nanyang Technological University) and Singapore Polytechnic. Since then, many students from these three institutions have benefited from the Ted Di Ponti Scholarship awards.
MILLION DOLLAR ENDOWMENT [2020- ]
As of the Club’s 60th Anniversary in 2020, by pooling together existing funds including the Ted Di Ponti Scholarship fund, Tay Teck Eng Bursary Fund, Dennis and Lucy Hangchi Mother & Child Fund, as well as numerous contributions from current and past members, family and friends, Singapore West’s total Endowment Fund has exceeded its the initial target of S$1 million and is now at approximately S$1.14 million.
THE RCSW STORY CONTINUES…
Continuing the many great work and contributions of past and present Rotarians, friends and family of Singapore West, RCSW is now well positioned to fulfil a long-standing wish of starting a Rotary Club of Singapore West Foundation and to continue its mission of service for many more years to come.