Mt. Diablo

The Gyro Club of Edmonton Club is a men’s social Club; Chartered on July 29, 1921 and was the 18th Club to join Gyro International, with 32 men representing many of the Edmonton’s business professions.  The Club Charter was spearheaded by Reg Henry and Harry Fuller. Of special note is that a gavel, made from material from the old Hudson Bay Company steamer, the Beaver, the first such ship to sail into Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, was presented by the installing officer Rowe Holland, from Vancouver.

Eleven days after receiving their charter, the Edmonton Club developed their “Objective” to provide “Playgrounds for Children”. The Club capitalized on the popular notion that society should focus more  on  children.   The City of Edmonton,  with  a  huge  surplus of foreclosed lands from the boom years of 1912-14, donated property for playgrounds. The Club took on the responsibility of raising funds for the construction, supervision and maintenance of the playgrounds. To fund these lofty initiatives, an annual carnival with games of chance and rides were operated in downtown Edmonton. Playground No. 1 was opened on August 19, 1922, and Playgrounds No. 2 and 3 were opened in June 1924.  By the late 1940’s the Edmonton Club had established nine (9) playgrounds. At that time, The City of Edmonton Parks and Recreation Department took on the responsibility of operating these facilities. Playground No. 10 was built at Fort Edmonton Park with the financial help of the Edmonton and area Clubs.

The Club’s benevolence has not stopped as over the years funds have been raised for many other causes including Music Scholarships for advanced students; Gerontology Endowment Fund Scholarships for Undergraduate, Master’s and PhD Candidates, at the University of Alberta; and the Edmonton Community Foundation Endowment Fund for the rehabilitation of the inner city playgrounds.

The Club’s relatively large membership is maintained through its successful Luncheon Speaker Program.