Club History
The club was formed in 1965 with Colonel Hugh Duncan as President and around 30 members. Three of whom are still active in the club today, Peter Belcher, Ray Long and David Watts.
On 19th November 1968 the first meeting was held of a cultural activities steering committee led by Ridd Ryder and Howard Green. From the efforts of this committee a new town theatre for Reading, The Hexagon, became a reality.
February 10th 1969 the club set up the first meeting of the XX (Probus) Club in Caversham.
April 21st 1970 the first Oration was held with Lord Boothby as speaker. Others followed with speakers including Sir C D Hamilton, Editor in Chief Times Newspapers, Sir William Gladstone, Chief Scout, John Alderson CBE, the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall.
1971 The Club presented the Borough of Reading with a Silver Gavel to add to the town's silver collection
July 21st 1973. The Caversham Spectacular led by Claude Fenton. The plan was to raise £40,000 to build a Therapeutic Pool at Battle Hospital. Within three years the club had raised a total of £44,500 and the pool was open and fully equipped at no cost to the Hospital Authority.
July 1974 The first meeting of the Rotaract Club of Caversham and in September the same year the club ran the Thames Water Carnival with the help of Reading Round Table.
April 29th, 1981 Polish Evening with the Deputy Polish Ambassador and others.
April 1982 following an idea that came up at a Rotary lunch a small party made their way to Meru Chambly the club's twin club in France to support Stan Eldon, a club member, on a charity run from there to Caversham. As a result of the run a cheque for £8000 was presented to Stoke Mandeville sports centre for the disabled to provide additional facilites.
March 1983 for several years the club collected money for charity at the Reading Half Marathon, collecting as much as £5000 each time.
January 1984 First meeting of the Inner Wheel Club of Caversham which was chartered in April 1985.
May 19th 1984 The Oration was re-born. It was held at the Hexagon in Reading with 300 attending and the speaker was the Director General of the BBC Alistair Milne
1992 A repeat of the Meru/Chambly run by Stan Eldon, this time running from Reading to Meru. Great support from the club and the Meru/Chambly Club and a total of £30,000 raised by the two clubs for a Heart Charity in France and Sport for Disabled in the South of England.
1993 The club had its first District Governor, Stan Eldon, and it required a great deal of work by the members especially the organising of a very successful District Conference at Torquay.
1998 The club helped to furnish the Westfield Recreation Ground in Caversham.
2000 The club's Millenium Project was the building of a Garden of Reflection at the local cemetery where parents who have lost babies can have a quiet time in pleasant surroundings.
2005 To celebrate the club's 40th and Rotary's 100th birthday the club has provided a seat on the Thameside at Caversham. More Recent Projects 2003 The club took a major role, directed by the then President Cyril McCombe, in the organising of the Caversham Festival.