The first ever female president of St. George's Rotary Club is finally taking office.

On June 29, 2001, exactly 50 years after the St. George's Rotary Club was formed, Joan Davis, the Deputy Principal at St. George's Prep, will become the new president of the club.

Women have only been allowed to be St. George's Rotary Club members for the last six years, and Ms Davis only joined in September,1998.

Even then, membership was not by application, but invitation, Mrs. Davis said.

"It's at the discretion of the club," she said. "This is the same process that men go through to join.

"My husband was a past president, and he invited me to come to meetings, and I was accepted by the rest of the men," she said.There are two other women in the 28-member St. George's club, aside from Ms Davis: Clare Weldon and Grace Rawlins.

"Grace joined about a year and a half after me," Mrs. Davis explained, "And Clare joined this past year or so."

Ms Rawlins, she added, is this year's president elect - meaning that after a year of attending director's meetings along with Mrs. Davis and "learning the ropes", she will take office as the second female president of the St. George's Rotary Club.

To choose a president, Mrs. Davis said, past presidents sit down and discuss together. They pick someone from the club that they feel is appropriate, and ask that someone if they are willing to take on the office.

"If you are willing, it's then taken to the membership," Mrs. Davis said. "It's done one year in advance - you work for a year as the president elect, so it's almost a two year position."

Mrs. Davis, apart from being the current president elect and preparing to take office on June 29, has been the club's secretary for the past two and a half years.

About her upcoming responsibilities, she said: "I imagine it will be challenging, but we have a good bunch of directors and I am sure that with their assistance we will have a great year."

As for the events planned for the year, she could not say. "We haven't had our first directors' meeting yet," she explained. "There is no dictatorship, it's a very democratic way of running a club."

As president, Mrs Davis says she will work with the directors and sharing feelings about the communities they are attempting to help. She then will take ideas back to the membership for them to discuss.

"I think we do need to make people more aware of Rotary," she said. "Last year we helped out at the soca concert in St. George's," she remembered, "and we helped out with the St. George's Foundation opening day for members.

"We assist as often and in as many ways as we can - we are open to suggestions (from the public)," she added. "We work more specifically in the St. George's area for donations."

The club also hosts international exchange students. "We have a girl from France now, and next year we shall have one from Spain," explained Mrs. Davis. "Also we are sending ten Bermudians away as exchange students this year, in August and September - I think that's excellent."

The students will go everywhere from France to Japan, South America to Europe.

Ms. Davis also wanted to encourage young people to join Rotary itself. "I think it's a great organisation, I'd like to see more younger people coming in," she said.

Anyone with an occupation who is around the age of 21 should talk to the Rotary Club in their area to see what possibilities there are, she advised. "The only way you'll find out whether or not you'll enjoy it is by coming to a couple of meetings," she said.

"I don't think that gender is an issue so long as you get a person that is thoroughly interested in the aims of Rotary," she added. "You just have to be interested and willing to do your part."