An evening of nostalgia for Junior Chamber

FORMER MEMBERS of the now defunct Junior Chamber Wexford are invited to attend a special reunion at Wexford Boat Club on September 8 at 8 p.m.

The club, which was also called Jaycee Wexford at one stage of its life, was a branch of Junior Chamber International, an organisation that was founded in 1915 and is still in operation in 124 countries around the world. Its main aim was to encourage young people to become active citizens and to promote participation in efforts towards social and economic development, and international cooperation, good will and understanding.

Wexford’s Junior Chamber began in the late 1950s, operating until the end of the 1990s. A number of its former members and life members have come up with the idea to host a reunion, saying that as time marches on it would be nice to meet former JCI colleagues, exchange stories and material gathered during the last 60 years.

During its years of operation, Junior Chamber Wexford brought over 5,000 people to the town with various conferences, the biggest being the European and African Conference in 1981 which was the group’s contribution to the local economy at the time. During the 1960s, the group produced a booklet initially called ‘What’s On in Wexford’ which was a free monthly tourist brochure for visitors to the town.

Barbara Wallace was one of the first female Chapter Presidents in the world and, during her time with South East Tourism, helped to build the chapter up considerably.

The get-together in the Boat Club is free and all former members are welcome. Those with memorabilia are asked to bring it along on the night. For more information, contact the group via email (wexfordjaycee@gmail.com) or phone on 087 456 5554.