Posted by Roger Lindley
The source of a Sergeant at Arms (SAA) can be traced back to feudal England where a Sergeant at Arms was an armed officer of a lord and was often one of a special body required to be in immediate attendance on the king’s person, to arrest traitors and other offenders. Today, Sergeant at Arms can be found playing a role in the functioning of both houses of British Parliament and both houses of the United States Congress.
 
In a Rotary Club , generally, the function of the SAA is to help maintain an orderly, dignified, and effective Rotary club meeting, one that will make the right impression on club visitors and guests.  Typically, the SAA handles  the physical preparations for, and the mechanical part of, a meeting and, unobtrusively, guides its general conduct. As a SAA, you play an important role in the overall success of each weekly meeting. The duties performed by the SAA permit the club president is to concentrate on conducting the meeting.
 
In our club, the SAA coordinates with the club president  and secretary regarding the agenda, guests, speaker information and room preparation. Typically, the SAA arrives 15-20 minutes before the meeting to ensure that the meeting room is in proper state for the meeting. 
At the start of the meeting the SAA reminds all present about silencing of mobile devices  and selects a person to lead the Four Way Test.  In addition, the SAA handles “Happy Baht” collection. The SAA works at keeping the meeting on the agenda timeline and, if necessary, asks for silence as needed. When the meeting is over, the SAA reminds attendees to unsilence their mobile device and return badges to their storage containers and meeting items returned to the store room.
 
 
The Sergeant-at-Arms who kept the wheels turning at a Rotary conference in England.