16/07/2019
Founders of Apex
Langham Proud, Ewan Laird, John Buchan
HISTORY OF APEX
In the Beginning
Apex started off as a story of three young men with high hopes and enthusiasm and vitality to realize their potential as active and aggressive citizens to play a direct role in uplifting their community. Though there were both successes and failures to contend with, what was important was that they were not sidetracked in their mission to live their ideals.
Apex’s beginnings can be traced to the period of the Great Depression in late 1929 to the early 30’s. This period was characterized by miseries, hardship and injustices. Unemployment was widespread as many businesses folded, leaving a large percentage of the population depressed and lost.
Three unemployed young architects in Geelong, Victoria, namely Ewan Laird, Langham Proud and John Buchan realized the danger all these negative sentiments would have on the young in their midst. They met to seek ways to assist and give hope to the affected young men. They knew that men are gregarious by nature and the desire to interact with others will lead them to join some organization or another in pursuit of fulfilling that desire. In short, most men seek friends to indulge in fellowship activities.
They too realized that what they had in mind was very similar to what Rotary clubs practiced. The idea of a junior Rotary club was mooted but this was soon rejected as they found that Rotary practiced classification in membership and that would mean that the three architects would not be able to join the same club.
Enlisting the help of John Buchan Sr, a member of Geelong Rotary, a meeting was arranged at the Rotary premises on 19 November 1930. At that meeting, it was decided to form the Geelong Young Business Men’s Club and open membership to young businessmen and professionals who were between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five with no classification limits, though there was a cap put at hundred members.
At their first luncheon meeting on 3 December 1930, sixty potential members from various businesses and professions participated in the meeting. The club also received tremendous support from the local Mayor O.C. Hearne, Geelong Rotary President Don F. Neilson and the local press. After some discussion, a basic Constitution and a Code of Ethics were adopted. Besides the name of the organization, which was officially called the Young Business Men’s Club of Geelong, members also adopted a number of objectives, which were listed as follows:
To participate in genuine good fellowship
To create interest in other men’s work
To encourage and foster high ethical standards in business and profession
To encourage and foster the active interest of every member in the civic, commercial, social and moral welfare of his community
To encourage and foster the active interest of every member in the civic, commercial, social and moral welfare of his community
The exchange of ideas and business methods as a means of increasing the efficiency and usefulness of members
The Association of Apex Clubs
It was at this point when it became clear that if Apex were to be developed further, it would be necessary to create a coordinating body with a separate constitution to oversee progress.
Over time two more clubs were formed, bringing the total to seven, with a membership of around three hundred and sixty. With seven autonomous clubs working independently of each other, members became acutely aware that Apex needs to move forward and grow.
A conference of the existing seven clubs (Geelong, Ballarat, Camperdown, Albury, Warrnambool, Bendigo and Wagga) was held again at the Rotary Geelong premises on 15-16 October 1932 with the purpose of placing Apex in a strong position constitutionally and to provide for some control over expansion.
It was here that the decision was taken to form the Association of Apex Clubs under a Board of Control consisting of one representative each from the seven clubs. The powers and the duties assigned to the Board of Control included:
Manage, supervise and control the business, property and funds of the Association
Carry out the objects of the Association
Form, charter, supervise and assume control over the clubs
The objects adopted for the Association were:
To develop by precept and example a more intelligent, aggressive and serviceable citizenship
To provide a practical means of forming enduring friendships, of rendering altruistic service and of building better communities. A model club constitution then came into being.
