While the Inner-Wheel Club of Georgetown may be well known for its annual Easter hat show in the Promenade Gardens, over the years it has also been involved in several charitable ventures which have seen assistance being given to those who would have lost their homes, the elderly, children and even to persons who had difficulty furthering their studies.
On Tuesday, the club–which now has 27 members and six founding/charter members–celebrated its 25th anniversary and those behind it are proud of the achievements made over the last years.
The membership of the Inner Wheel Club comprises wives and widows of Rotarians and it is one of many that can be found world wide. In fact there is another such club–the Inner-Wheel Club of Central Georgetown– in the city.
Charter President of the club, Mayleen Davis told Stabroek News in a recent interview that the club’s main aims are personal service and friendship. She noted that to be a true friend then you must have a friend who is in need and with this in mind the club has been identifying areas of need and offering whatever assistance it could afford.
While acknowledging that the needs in the country are “humongous”, the club helps in whatever way it could. This has seen it offering assistance to accident and fire victims, the Guyana Red Cross Society and the Mother’s Union among others. Many years ago, the club rehabilitated the playfield at the National Park. The field has once again deteriorated and Davis disclosed that there are plans to once again rehabilitate it with the assistance the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company and the National Parks Commission.
Some 21 persons have benefited from the club’s scholarship programme over the years. Initially this was offered only to persons from the hinterland areas, but was later expanded.
The club also takes Christmas cheer to children around the country and it has held a number of fund-raising activities for charitable causes. Its charity is not confined to Guyana as recently the club raised $1.5 million for those affected in the recent Haiti earthquake and it had also raised money for the victims of the Grenada hurricane some years back.
“Whenever or wherever there is a need for service, we are there to service. We are a modest group…” Davis said adding that the members wanted the public to know of their work in recognition of their 25th anniversary.
Davis said 25 years ago the club started with 25 charter members but many of them were expatriates and would have returned to their homelands. Two have died and others would have left the club for personal reasons; as such only six of the original members are still in the club.
While the other activities of the club may be unknown to the public its annual hat show and garden party is certainly known and it is now seen as a national activity.
The woman who has been with the show from the inception, 23 years ago to be precise, is Gem Eytle, also a former charter president of the club. She spoke to Stabroek News at length about the event which has resulted in the club rehabilitating the band stand and putting the lights. The event usually sees persons placing on their heads some of the most memorable and stylish hats for which many of them would receive prizes. Eytle sees it as a way to keeping a tradition that was known years ago where garden parties were held; today there are seldom such occasions.
At times more than 700 persons would attend the function which is usually held on Easter Saturday every year. However, this year the event would be held on April 17 as the Promenade Garden will host three weddings on its grounds on Easter Sunday this year.
Eytle described the event as one where a person can experience a “nice place of delicacy” for $300; purchase a tea plate for $1,000 and sit around tables and enjoy “nice good decent music” provided by the Guyana Police Force’s band.
“We go back to the gracious old days,” Eytle said even as she lamented that the styles of the hats are no longer what they were in days past. She said persons just focus on purchasing a lot of flowers and making their hats but there is no effort up coming up with a hat that tells the story of something.
But she said the show and garden party must continue as it is a good outing for many persons and for the old it is a way of taking a trip down memory lane.
