In 1935, The Rotary Club of Melbourne had been in existence for 14 years and was the only Rotary Club in Melbourne. The Mayor of Essendon Cr W.B.Reid instructed the Town Clerk to write to the Rotary Club of Melbourne requesting the approval to start a Rotary Club in Essendon. A meeting was arranged between prominent citizens from Essendon and Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Melbourne. Included in this group of Melbourne Rotarians were President George Coles and District Governor Angus Mitchell, (later to be World President of Rotary and a mentor of Royce Abbey). This would be the first suburban Rotary Club in Australia.
After the preliminary meeting, a selection of business men from Essendon was invited to a preliminary meeting at Edenhope Receptions in Maribyrnong Rd on 13th February 1935. The meeting was chaired by W.J.Rose from the Rotary Club of Melbourne and attended by 9 other prominent Melbourne Rotarians. At that provisional meeting a provisional committee was appointed at which Cr W.B.Reid was elected president, Lt-Col. N.F. Wellington was elected Secretary and Allan F Showers was elected Treasurer. A by-laws committee was formed consisting of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Cr P.M. Salmon and Mr E.W. Stinton. Also present at that initial meeting were Cr R.J. Gilbertson, Cr A.F.Showers, Lt-Col. J.M. Edgar, Dr S.J.Neweing, L.Gordon, F.E. Pugh, H.W. Gyles, M.McMahon, G.I.Woodhous, J.Gawne, B.O’Callaghan, W.S. Johnson and A.B. Carey.
Following the provisional meeting on the 13th of February an educational meeting was held for the provisional Rotary Club of Essendon on the 19th of February that was attended by 17 members and 8 guests. Professor W.A. Osborne of the Rotary Club of Melbourne delivered an address on the “Aims and Objects of Rotary”. On the 26th of February a constitutional meeting was held at which 51 Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of London, Mildura, Ballarat, Geelong and Melbourne attended. The meeting was chaired by Walter Rose, chairman of the extension committee of the Rotary Club of Melbourne. The office bearers of the provisional club were ratified and along with additional board members E.W. Stinton & Les.A.Gordon they were all inducted by Sir Angus Mitchell. The new Rotary Club of Essendon was presented with a framed portrait of King George V, a “handsome” brass gong surmounted with a Rotary Wheel and a gavel from the Rotary Club of Melbourne.