Club Meeting Places
PP Gordon Millington's very enlightening and anecdotal address to the Club Monday 14 February, was very well received and highlighted the various establishments and their histories where the Club has met over the years.
The 1st meeting was in 1911 at 1.15 on 24 July in the Avenue Hotel, Royal Avenue (opposite the Reform Club) when American Rotarian, Stuart Morrow (of Irish descent) brought together 15 businesspeople from Belfast to discuss the formation of a Rotary Club in Belfast. They met there again on 31 July, 7 August and 14 August which they called the Inaugural meeting of the Rotary Club of Belfast. It was attended by 14 members as well as Stuart Morrow and the entrance Fee was fixed at 2 Guineas - one of which would go to Stuart Morrow! Meetings were held Monday lunchtimes with an additional monthly evening informal dinner with entertainment to which the members’ ladies could be invited (these evening dinners continued until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914). By 1912 the Club had 144 members and had rented an office at 15 Donegall Place with a penny-in-the-slot telephone machine and had hired an office girl at 5 shillings per week; this was the office of Stuart Morrow who left for Glasgow in that year; families very involved in the formation that are still involved in the Club are the Boyd’s and the Rundle’s.
Over the next 2 years the Club met in various places including Ye Old Castle Restaurant, Thompsons Restaurant (Donegall Place), The Carlton (also at that time Donegall Place) and The Grand Central Hotel (built in 1899 by John Robb, who was responsible for the establishment of Robb’s Department store in High Street). However by 1914 the Club had settled in the Grand Central Hotel whose manager George Felstead was also a member; but the Club also had a room in the Carlton Restaurant where at any time members could have a meal, play cards, and enjoy social functions. This was given up in 1927 when a permanent Rotary Room (which had the Club’s memorabilia) became available at the Grand Central but this needed to be booked from about 1955.
The Troubles began in 1969 and all changed in Belfast and Northern Ireland. The Grand Central was to close on 1 October 1971 to become an army barracks so the Club Council considered a list of alternative venues - Belfast Europa (a new hotel just about to open), Midland Hotel, Great Southern Hotel, the International Hotel, the Presbyterian Hostel, Chamber of Commerce House, Royal Ulster Agricultural Society, War Memorial Waring Street, King George VI Hall May Street. At a Special General Meeting of the Club held on 11 October 1971 in the Europa the Club agreed “That with effect from Monday 25 October 1971, the BELFAST EUROPA HOTEL be the new headquarters of the Club and the venue for its future luncheon meetings.” Lunch would be provided for £1.25 (the cost remaining the same for 12 months), when the Penthouse wasw complete it would be the venue for Lunch; an en-suite bar would be provided and a private room available for committee meetings. The Manager of the new Hotel was Harper Brown, who had returned from the Grosvenor Hotel at Victoria Station London, had worked at the Grand Central in his early days.
The Europa, where most of the press stayed then, came under several attacks (probably for publicity) but never closed; it was bought by Intercontinental Hotels and renamed the Forum in 1983. Harper retired in January 1985 and the new manager was John O’Carroll. In 1986 the Europa was bought by Colin Noble for Emerald Hotels who quickly changed name back to The Europa and the new resident Manager was David Boyce. However Emerald hotels had overstretched their finances and the hotel went into receivership on 22 April 1991 the receiver being Club member Stephen Prenter who decided to keep the hotel open, it being the only Emerald Hotel asset making money.
Gordon revealed he was at the Europa on 04 December 1991 at an Institution of Civil Engineers dinner when all were asked to leave quickly as a bomb warning had been received; the bomb placed in a lorry in Glengall Street went off damaging the Europa but more particularly causing severe damage to the Grand Opera House. During the next 5 months there were about 250 bomb warnings, but one on May 20 was real. The Europa suffered again, but as the Europa “never closed” the Club continued to meet there, sometimes even by candlelight. In August 1993 Hastings closed the Europa for a major new entrance area and many improvements all over the building. The Club then met at the Reform Club in Royal Avenue and were very well looked after with the Club’s Council meeting in the Progressive Building Society.
At a Council meeting on the 21 December 1993, it was decided to return to the soon reopening Europa and the Club was back at the Europa on 14 March 1994 commencing with a musical evening given by members David Black (leading), Hilary Gault, Victor McKirgan and Brian Clements. The Manager of the Hotel at that time was John Toner who joined the Club but in 1998 resigned when he became manager of the Slieve Donard in Newcastle his hometown. The Club has always had great support from the hotel staff in their various duties serving the Club so well.
In 2009 Stephan Athmann manager of the Radisson Blue hotel in the old Gasworks site joined the Club (albeit briefly), and offered additional evening meeting venue in his hotel. These were held at 6pm on Thursdays, initially they were popular but did not last beyond 2016.
President Ken thanked PP Gordon for his well-researched address and for his outstanding contribution to the life of the Club for over 50 years. The Q&A session included reminiscences from several members.