Honour for pioneering Rotarian
A Callander stalwart has been honoured on her retiral as a local Rotarian.
Dorothy Kinloch OBE has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Callander & West Perthshire for 20 years.
Once the only female member of the club, she brought more women into the organisation and played a pivotal role in wider community life.
Club president Jen Shearer said: “It goes without saying that we are all sorry to see her go, but there can be no doubt that she has earned her retirement from ‘active duty.’
“Since joining the club in the year 2000, as the only lady Rotarian at that time, Dorothy put a lot of energy and commitment into her role as a Rotarian. Indeed, she embodied the Rotary motto of ‘Service Before Self ’.
“She not only introduced a number of new members (including some more ladies) to the club, but was actively involved in all the activities associated with Rotary in Callander in her two decades of membership - from helping to run the annual Ben Ledi sponsored climb and the Junior Highland Games, to running barbecues, coffee mornings and social events - as well as a wide range of fundraising and community events.
“Dorothy’s contribution to Rotary in Callander was recognised in her appointment as President in 2005-06, the first woman to be appointed to that role in our club.
“As President, Dorothy kept a steady hand on the wheel, and her wise counsel and caring approach were much appreciated by her fellow Rotarians.
“In 2010, in recognition of her significant contribution to the club and the impressive energy and attention to detail which she brought to every aspect of her membership, Dorothy was honoured with a Paul Harris Award - Rotary’s highest award for individual Rotarians who meet the high professional and personal standards exemplified by Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary International.”
Dorothy has also made her mark outside Rotary.
In 2009 she made history by becoming the first church Elder to become Moderator of the Stirling Presbytery.
She had also been principal teacher of home economics at Mclaren High School, the Scout Association Chief Commissioner of Scotland and the first woman to lead a UK Scout troop to a World Jamboree, in Canada.
She also won the Silver Wolf, the highest award in Scouting and, in 1997, was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Honours for her services to Scouting.
Well-known in Callander, she was a founder trustee of the Callander Youth Project and chaired the trust for two years. She was also a trustee of the Dunblane Primary School Charitable Trust and a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Stirling.
Dorothy’s retiral from Rotary was marked by the presentation of a plant and a voucher – presented on a socially distanced basis.