DOMBIVLI is a small town near Kalyan, mostly commuted by Railway, road transport being inconvenient, with a population including rural area at 1000000. The State Authorities declared an Industrial Area of small Scale Industries. Barvi Dam became the source of water to Dombivli which was water starved. The township started growing with the newly opened Banks.
In such circumstances Lions Club got started and chartered. The Rotary Club of Kalyan sponsored the Rotary Club of Dombivli. Lion Haripal and PDG Vima Dalai were responsible for recommending the formation of this Club. Rtn. Dr. N. H. Welankar was GR from Kalyan Club and the first meeting was called by him on 2nd Oct 1964 at Brahman Sabha and proposed Club got established. In due course of time it became a provisional Rotary Club and was chartered on 2nd Oct. 1965. Charter presentation was delayed because of some problems at the District level. Charter was presented at the hands of Rtn. DG Duttt of Hyderabad then Dist 315 with 33 members, on 13th March 1966.
Details of Club service :
Initially we had more than 33 members but to get the charter the Club had disqualify certain members, as they were not fulfilling the criteria of having their residence as well as work place within territory. All the charter members stitched suits as uniform from same cloth for charter presentation.
The term fee was fixed as Rs. 60.00/- per term of six months and admission fee was fixed at Rs. 100.00/-. All the members paid the Rotary Foundation dues and we became 100% Foundation Club.
Prior to Charter presentation, proposed President and Secretary resigned, as president shifted to Pune. Rtn. H. M. Bhatt was the President and Rtn. B. G. Karve was the Secretary. After the charter presentation the office bearers continued for two years. Survey of community both Urban and Rural was made. Web site of our club was launched www.rotaryclubofdombivli.org in the year 2006-07.
Details of International Service :
We were 100% Foundation fellow on Charter day. We had very good grooming from District as well as General Secretary of RI Rtn. George Means by correspondence.
We sponsored one Technical Trainee Award by recommending Shree Y. N. Athavale who was a machine operator at M/s Godrej and earlier was in the Indian Army. He had been to Vietnam as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
We also sponsored Group Study Exchange Team members Dr. Suryanarayan, a rubber technologist as well as Shri Mallya, Manger of Syndicate Bank of Dombivli.
Rtn. J Ganesh was selected GSE Team Leader (Alternate) in the year 2006-07.
Details of Community Service :
As a provisional club, we donated a band set to the scouts of local Maharashtra Vidyalaya and later helped it to become a full-fledged Technical School. After Charter, we procured land of 555 sq. Yards from Late Sri R V Gokhale and estabilished Rotary Seva Kendra Trust as per the constitution recommended by PDG Rtn. Ramachar of Hyderabad. In 1972, we started RSK’s Rotary School for Deaf. We honored two Peace Corps volunteers namely Mr Bruno Wrobloswsky and Mr Bob Johnson. We established the Rotaract club in 1972. Rtn. Dr Halsey and his wife, chancellor of Bridgeport University visited our club and spend their time with us.We established the Interact Club at South Indian Association High School in 1974 and also Senior Citizens club as well as Ineer Wheel Club subsequently. Ratha Yatra for International Director Rtn. R A Pai was made from Railway Station to Gymkhana. Dental check up and tretment as well as T B check up and treatment was arranged for about 20,000 people. We sponsored the Astitva, a institution for mentally and hearing impaired and also sponsored Utkarsha, an institution devoted to rehabilitation of mentally and physically impaired, above the age of 18 years. We have done, for many years, prevention of Polio in he belt by immunising all the children repeatedly by administering polio serum.
Our Interact and rotaract have won district and state awards, some of which were recognized by RI as well. Our Inner Wheel Club is also very active and has won many awards. Eye camp and cataract operations, free of cost, in the rural area and distribution of free spectacles are some of the important landmarks. Permanent Eye Care centre - Shatabdi Netralaya was recently started in 2003-04.
New RCC was formed in village Andhad, near Shahapur in the year 2005-06 Water problem was permanently sloved by providing bore well to Savali Orphanage, Badlapur in the year 2006-07.
Details of Vocational Service:
Establishing Paul Harris vocational centre for handicapped with the help of Rochester Club is landmark. Established Rotary Village Corps. Arbitrated an industrial labour dispute and also litigations and civil, by arbitration. Career Guidance to high school students, guidance to Agriculturists, regarding saving the crops during draught, Kitchen garden scheme and distribution of seedlings to villages with the help of vegetable development office of Thane are some of important projects our Club had done. Vocational awards given almost every year to deserving persons who have excelled in their Vocation and shown some exemplary work for the benefit of the public at large, worth recognizing. Recognizing merit holders of SSC and HSC is tradition of our Club.
Besides all these general Information we take pride in that fact that our club is the only club from this Zone to have given a Dist. Governor (Rtn. Dr. R. M. Bhat) so far. Our Rotaractors follow the same and has given 2 DRR’s to District Rtr Bharat Anikindhi and Rtr. Sanjeev Tambe, from our Rotaract wing, the Rotaract Club of Dombivli. Our club had given 2 Asst. Governors to the district so far besides a number of avenue chairpersons at the District level. Our Inner Wheel has been one of the most active club in the district doing excellent projects benefitting the people in and around city.
Our club had adopted, a village Kumbharli in the nearby area and have done lot of
community projects in this village. The permanent projects of our club namely Rotary School for Deaf for the Deaf offering education to the hearing and speech impaired from KG to 10th Std., Paul Harris Vocational center for the handicapped and recently started Rotary Shatabdi Netralaya are very dear to our members and almost all of our activities centre around the up keeping and progress of these projects. The Deaf school is the only one in the whole of Thane Dist. Which functions with Govt. Recognition. The vocational center offers training to handicapped people in computer, screening printing, tailoring and for producing flowers, bouquets made of cloth as well for making ladies bags and other handicraft items. The recently started eye care center will offer treatment, free spectacles and guidance for surgery to the poor people. Our club had opportunities to hear lectures from foreign visitors time to time
These are some of the salient features of the history of our club.