Keeping Thorne Rotarian presidency in the family

It was a family affair when a proud father handed over the Rotarian president's chain of office to his son last week.
Outgoing Thorne Rotarian president, Peter Haley, hands over the chain of office to his son Richard HaleyOutgoing Thorne Rotarian president, Peter Haley, hands over the chain of office to his son Richard Haley
Outgoing Thorne Rotarian president, Peter Haley, hands over the chain of office to his son Richard Haley

But it wasn’t the first time that Rotarian, Peter Haley, or his son Richard, had taken over the reigns of Thorne Rotary Club.

Former pharmacist in Sprotbrough, Peter, 79, was the first member recruited to the club after it formed in 1969. It was formed by around 12 local businessmen including one of its founding fathers, Horrace Barber, a local dentist.

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Peter served his first term as president in 1976/77 and again in the past year 2015/16.

His son, Richard, 51, a postmaster in Epworth, served his first term as president of the Thorne club back in 2002 and is looking forward to his second stint at the helm.

Peter said: “We are both so proud to be part of the Thorne Rotary Club. Over the years we have raised so much funding for both local and international causes.”

One of those charities was the Polio Education charity and Peter said father and son had raised in the region of £30,000 for them.

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He added: “Due to the efforts of many fundraisers over the years hundreds of thousands of pounds have been raised for research into this condition.

“I am so proud that both me and my son have made a contribution to helping fund that research and to buy vaccinations. Polio is now virtually eliminated from the world. It only occurs now in areas including Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

Much of the funding has been raised by hiring of the Rotary Club’s huge trailer, which acts as a stage and can be seen at many fairs and functions around the Doncaster area.

During their time as Rotarians, both Peter and Richard have helped to provide a great deal of expertise and aid around the world including in the recent past helping disadvantaged people in Malawi. Thorne Rotary Club is always looking for new members. For more attend one of their meetings at the Punch Bowl Inn, Fieldside, Thorne, 7pm, Wednesdays.

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