Many leaders start a program, service or develop a product because of a need of their own. Certainly that was the case for Peter Moore. Living in Guelph, working in Hamilton, he wanted to be part of a Rotary Club that met in the morning.
This was the impetus behind the start of the Guelph Trillium Club over twenty-eight years ago. A long-time Rotarian, Peter wanted to continue his Rotarian ties, but could no longer attend lunchtime meetings in Guelph.
Not only has Peter belonged to several Rotary Clubs over the years, he’s moved around a fair bit in his career too. As an Anglican priest he has been assigned to churches from St. Clair Beach (near Windsor) Hamilton, Oakville, St Catherines to Guelph. He even had a six-month stint in Antigua. When he retired he carried on and worked as an interim minister, filling in at small churches when they were in between incumbents.
He was actually turned down at the first club he applied to because at that time there was a rule of only one person per industry, and the club already had a minister. Fortunately that didn’t turn him off and a year later, when that person moved, he was welcomed in.
Friends and parishioners who were Rotary members first piqued Peter’s interest and he was aware of Rotary’s good work around the world. What he admires is Rotary’s ability to respond to needs both at the global and local level, as he recognizes that there are issues in Canadian cities too.
At 84, he smiles as he says that he’s still got most of his marbles and from the outside looking in, it certainly looks that way. After the death of his wife, June, he moved to a seniors’ residence and is taking the move in his stride.
In fact, keeping an open mind seems to be a mantra for Peter. “It’s important not to be narrow in your thinking.” he shares. He remembers when women were first admitted into the Rotary. “Some clubs had difficulty with this decision, but I welcomed their participation. In fact it was a woman who took over from me as President.”
When you are working together on a common cause, you quickly learn, he observed that you are not all going to agree and that you enter the discussion with that understanding at the outset.
He fondly remembers the support the club received from Fred Black who mentored them through the initial years, keeping them as Peter jokes “on the straight and narrow.”
In terms of motivation for joining Rotary, for Peter it is about giving back, not just writing a cheque but getting involved and about the fellowship with one another.