Welcome
The Rotary Club of Iron Cove was chartered on 27 March 1952 asThe Rotary Club of Drummoyne.
Since then it has been meeting weekly and has played an important part in the local and international community. The membership of the club has fluctuated from a high of over 50 members to as low as 15-20. We currently have around 25 members and are growing.
In 1993, our Club admitted the first two women as full members. This number grew steadily over the years, and today Drummoyne Rotary has many active female members.
In the Rotary year 2001/2002, Kay Elizabeth Loder, holding the classification of Solicitor - General Practice, was our first ever Lady President. In the same year, which coincides with our fiftieth anniversary, Past President and Paul Harris Fellow Roger Kilburn, was the first ever Drummoyne member to hold the position of District Governor (District 9750).
Iron Cove is a bay located in the heart of our location, bordering Drummoyne, Balmain and Leichhardt as well as other suburbs. The indigenous name of this place is Go-mo-ra in the language of the local people. The origin of the name 'Iron Cove' is unclear. one suggestion is that the name is derived from the iron shackles worn by convicts from Cockatoo Island who were forced to work in the area around the bay from 1839. The Iron Cove Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that links the suburbs of Drummoyne and Rozelle(Balmain). The Rotary Club of Iron Cove similarly links the suburbs of Drummoyne, Leichhardt and Balmain in service.
Retired Club Historian Winton Christie, wrote:
Since the charter year 1952 the Drummoyne area changed from industrial to residential. We have drawn, in the past, members from the largest firms - Wire Industries (2 presidents), Dunlops (1 president), Crompton Parkinson (1 president), Sydney Box Factory (1 member), Nestle (1 member), and our charter president came from Carpet Manufacturers. All these have now gone, the latest being the Nestle Factory in 1996 and the Wire Mill in 2000. The old fashioned machinery, transport costs (wire was originally transported by barge) and the value of the waterfront land has seen them move out.
Despite the fact that these sites have been transformed to units, houses and industrial units, it has not made a substantial increase in the population of the municipality. Consequently, the Rotary Club of Drummoyne has seen a change in membership, away from local managers, shop keepers and professionals, to city executives.
In 2020 the club expanded it's footprint to take in the suburbs of Balmain and Leichhardt. these two areas were served by their own Rotary Clubs, but these folded due to lack of numbers. The club adopted a new name of the Rotary Club of Iron Cove to reflect this new dynamic, but we don't forget our roots in the local Drummoyne community.