Club 12046
- District 1980
- Charter number 6916
Important Contacts
Segretary:
Michela Snider; +41 (0)79 443 83 15; info@rotarylocarno.ch
Prefect:
Sergio Marchetti; +41 (0)79 221 66 00; sergio.marchetti@rotarylocarno.ch
President (2024-2025):
Manuel Rigozzi; +41 (0)79 681 15 15; manuel.rigozzi@rotarylocarno.ch
District No: 1980
Club No: 12046
Charter No: 6916
Charter Date: 20 Aprile 1948
A Little History of RC Locarno
Rotary in Ticino began to be talked about in 1929, when RC
Lugano was formed, a club destined to serve as godfather to the next four
Ticino clubs (Locarno 1948, Bellinzona 1954, Mendrisio 1977, Lugano-Lago 1990).
In 1936, so the story goes, a first step was taken to
establish a Rotary Club in Locarno as well: it was the Lugano Rotarian Giovanni
Conza who proposed to the Locarnese Alfredo Fanciola, his cousin, even a list
of possible candidates.
Nothing happened and it came to the postwar period, when in
1947 the subject was taken up again, this time by two groups, one unaware of
the other's initiative. The names of the two "ropes" can also be
named: Dino Catti, Carlo Giulà and Giovanni Battista Pedrazzini on one side;
Roberto Sciaroni, Guido Torriani and Attilio Zanolini on the other.So, in the
year of grace 1947, through a series of partly stormy meetings, the work of
approaching the composition of 25 founding members became concrete.
Once the list of founding members had been compiled, the
"provisional" RC Locarno forwarded an application for admission on
April 13, 1948: a document signed by lawyer GB Rusca and engineer GB
Pedrazzini, referred to as "fonctionnaires exécutifs" together with
Messrs. Attilio Zanolini, Riccardo Danzi, Alfredo Fanciola and Carlo Gilà.
The founding members
are:
Ambrosoli Pierino, garage owner, U.S. vehicle importer
Beretta Efrem, director National Brewery SA
Bianchetti Peppo dott. med. Dentist
Brunoni Bruno arch., owner architectural firm
Calgari BGuido prof., director of Scuola Magistrale
Carminati Vito, owner printing company
Danzi Riccardo, dietary and pharmaceutical products representative
Fanciola Alfredo, owner Albergo Esplanade
Gianella Alberto dott. jur., owner law firm
Gilà Carlo, general insurance agent
Giudici Cesare ing., director SES
Janner Adolfo, owner fiduciary firm
Jetter Jules, director firm B.C.T. Gnosca
Märki Alberto ing., owner thermal engineering firm
Merlini Giovanni, owner construction firm
Meyer Ernesto ing., director Ticino regional railways
Moretti Giuliano dott.med., ophthalmologist
Nessi Carlo, owner construction materials firm
Pedrazzini G.B. ing, deputy director SES
Pedrazzini Paolo, president Immobiliare SA
Rusca G.B. lawyer, owner law firm
Sciaroni Roberto dott.med, surgeon
Simona Sergio, owner milling industry
Torriani Guido, director UBS Locarno
Zanolini Attilio avv., president OTAF
On April 20, 1948, as a member of District 180 and as Club
number 6916 of Rotary International, RC Locarno was officially recognized.
A few months later, on October 16 and 17, 1948, followed the
big party on the occasion of the delivery of the Charter: more than 200
Rotarians present, with a large delegation from RC Lugano, banquet and big
dance with the orchestra Zuccheri from Radio Milano, review of Ticinese
costumes, reception at the Castle offered by the Locarno City Hall.
Doing the honors was lawyer GB Rusca, mayor of the city,
national councilor and first president of the newly formed Rotary Club Locarno.
To the patronage and initiative of the RC Locarno we owe a
number of achievements and renovations, we recall here the main ones:
- Terra Vecchia Foundation in Palagnedra
- Rehabilitation Oratorio di Casenzano, in Gambarogno
- Rehabilitation "Broken Chapel" on the path
connecting Loco to Intragna
- Rehabilitation of the ancient aqueduct in Cortaccio,
Brissago
- Rehabilitation of a rustic building and reactivation of a
power station in Mogno
- Sponsorship of the bell tower of the Church of Mogno by arch.
Botta
- Launching initiative for "Casa Faro," terminally
ill AIDS patients
- "Rotary Youth" Foundation
Digging through
the archives, a number of important moments in the life of the Club emerge and
some achievements are recalled alongside those related to international
projects.
- 1948 Founding of the RC Locarno (April 20, 1948).
- 1953 On the initiative of Riccardo Danzi, the RC Locarno
creates the Vocational Training Patronage, which is still active today.
Organization of a camp for international Rotary youth.
- 1967 RC Locarno has the honor of hosting the District
Conference, under the chairmanship of Alberto Pedrazzini.
- 1974 Rotarian Gianfranco Cotti is elected District Governor
for the 1974-1975 Rotary year.
- 1977 The RC organizes a RYLA seminar on "Individual and
Community" (July 7-10, in Tenero).
- 1991 RC Locarno hosts the Governors of the countries of the
Mediterranean area, at congress in Lugano At the CST in Tenero, on the occasion
of the 700th. of the Confederation, the World Youth Camp is organized. RC
Locarno and other Ticino clubs dedicate themselves to these young people.
- 1996 As part of the Joggathlon in the District, RC Locarno
raises over 40,000 francs, which are donated entirely to charitable and
Humanitarian works.
- 1998 On the occasion of the 50th. RC Locarno hosts the
Inter-District Conference of Swiss RCs (June 19-20, 1998) over 600 Rotarians
attended.
- 2000 Rotarian Paolo Krämer is elected District Governor for
the 2001-2002 Rotary year.
- 2008 On the initiative of Rot. Mauro Broggini, RC Locarno
establishes the "Rotary Youth Foundation" with the purpose of
purchasing and managing a house to be made available to young people in
difficulty or with social distress.
