Club Founding

The Rotary motto "Service above Self" was truly exemplified by our own Charter President A.W. "Bill" Purtle, who was instrumental in the founding of the Rotary Club of Mimico and New Toronto, which was later renamed "The Rotary Club of Etobicoke". It started when in 1929/1930 Chas W. Buchanan, Governor of District 27, got together with "The Rotary Club of Toronto" and appointed Bill Purtle as a special representative of the district to survey the Lakeshore area. Bill gathered around him twenty industrial leaders of the area and founded the third Rotary Club in the immediate vicinity of Toronto. With the formation of the Rotary Club of Mimico and New Toronto, Bill relinquished his membership in the Toronto Rotary Club in order to add leadership and experience as Charter President to the newly formed club.

The Charter night was held Thursday, March 27th, 1930, in the Auditorium of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. On this occasion some 200 people were present including representatives from eleven Rotary Clubs. Also in attendance were D.M. Wright, Canadian Representative on the Board of Rotary International; C.W. Buchanan, District Governor and W.J. Cairns President of the Rotary Club of Toronto.