ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collection

HMSS 0214 Canberra Woden Inner Wheel Society Records

Scope and content notes

Canberra Woden Inner Wheel Club Inc was formed when Shirley Cleverly missed her Inner Wheel Club when she arrived from England and saw that there was a need for Inner Wheel in Canbera. The Inner Wheel is an international organisation for women associated with Rotary.  Its objects are to:

Promote true friendship
Encourage the ideals of personal service
Foster International understanding

From an initial membership of 19 the Club rose to a top of 31 in 1992 and closed on 17 June 2010 with a membership of 19. 

Meetings were held in members’ homes for many years and later at Deakin Inn (where Canberra Woden Rotary Club met), the Statesman Hotel for dinner meetings, and then the Embassy Motel, Federal Golf Club, back to the Embassy for many years and, finally, when the Embassy closed, St James Hall and President Joan Keith’s home.

In 1991 the Club began publishing a regular newsletter, ‘The Hub’’. Maureen Rugeri, as secretary, was the first editor, followed by secretary Ann Tedder. This was taken over by Pixie Grey.

The Club has strongly supported Rotary and held some joint meetings. Since the inception of Rotary Adventure in Citizenship the Club was involved as hosts and, in early days as ‘day mothers’, assisted in hosting the National Science Summer School; staffing the show gates and then show parking, and always making sandwiches for lunch for the helpers.  The Club participated in joint Golf weekends away, the Bong Bong races as well as hosting Rotary’s key of friendship dinners, and catering for shared picnics,  cricket matches, BBQs, lunches and dinners

The club supported District from the beginning, firstly in A51 and then A56 with members holding many District postions.  On two occasions 1982 and 2001 the Club hosted the National Conference as well as supporting Queanbeyan when it ran a smaller conference after the International Conference.

Members corresponded regularly with international Inner Wheel members and entertained overseas guests.

The first act of service to the community was Meals on Wheels which continued for over 30 years as well as supporting a PLAN child from the first year until recently. 

The Club supported these charitable activities:

PLAN child, Meals on Wheels, Banardos, WV Swimming Club, Toy Library for Handicapped Children, ACT Spastic Centre, Townsville Flood Relief, Masonic Homes Trust, Darwin Appeal, Lifeline, Outreach House, Hartley House, Pythagarus, Lepra Relief, Guide Dogs, Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal, Woden Senior Citizens Club, Multiple Soroses, Pegasus, Print Handicapped Centre, Glebe House, Women’s Refuge freezer and books and toys, Youth Refuge, Print handicapped, Kidney Foundation, Cindy Cook appeal, Brindabella gardens plants, Hospice for oxygen regulator, Dialysis Unit, Camp Qualaity, Life Education Program, Outward Bound, DARE, Palliative Care, Downs Syndrome, Blind Club, Stroke Club, Newcastle Flood relief, NZ Flood relief, Red Cross, Fusion for Bus Stop Café, Dr Earl Owen for Microsearch, Care Force, Smith Family, clothes for Russia’s forgotten Children, Calico dolls for Wollongong Hospital and then Woden Valley Hospital, Maxillary Facial Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, ACT Cancer Club and Cancer Biggest Morning Tea, RSPCA, Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel Project, Canberra Mothercraft Club, Newborn Intensive Care Foundation ACT, Palliative Care Club, Wild Life Centre, Mountain View Retirement Village, Oncology Support Services, Canberra Hospital Wig Library, Noah’s Ark Toy Library, St Andrews Retirement Village, Friends of little Penquines, Baby baskets for new mums 9especially mother’s day), Salvation Army, Noisy Friar Birds (Koomari), Shai Hill School, L’Arche, Anglicare, Cord Blood Stem Cell Research.

The final meeting of the Club was held on 17 June 2010.

Box List