The Association of Apex Clubs of Australia is the collective name given to 330 individual Apex Clubs throughout Australia. An Apex club is a community service club, neither sectarian nor party political, that provides young civic minded people the opportunity to volunteer within the community and develop personally through club run schemes such as public speaking competitions. Club members are volunteers aged between 18 and 45.
Ideals
Apex members share the same ideals. That is to:
make the ideal of service the basis of all enterprise
develop by example a more intelligent and aggressive citizenship
provide means of forming enduring friendships, and rendering altruistic service and building better communities
promote international understanding and friendship.
History
The first Apex Club was formed at Geelong in 1931 when three architects attempted to join the Rotary Club of Geelong. As Rotary has a rule restricting one profession to each club the three architects - Ewan Laird, Langham Proud and John Buchan went on to form The Young Businessmen's Club of Geelong. After clubs were formed at Ballarat and Camperdown, The Association of Apex Clubs was formed, and the three clubs branded as "Apex". Until the early 1990s Apex only allowed male members, but the 2006 National Convention decided to merge the gender specific clubs that had formed into one and for all to accept members of both genders to their clubs. The last Apex in the Geelong Region , folded in 2015.
Activities
There are clubs in every state and territory of Australia and within each state there are regions which clubs belong to. There are approximately 150 active clubs. Membership is open to men and women between 18 and 45, although each individual club now have the right to increase this upper age limit and numerous clubs have done so. School-based Apex Youth Clubs are also being introduced for members between 14 and 18. Apex undertakes a range of activities aimed at youth with its major programs including running Public Speaking and Debating competitions. Apex also runs the in each state with the top three in each section heading to the national final, that is held in October each year. Other events include the "Gympie Music Muster" held outside Gympie each year, as well as ute musters, B&S balls, and anything else a club decides to organise. Apex has raised large amounts of money to put into trust funds which then distribute grants each year, this is held under the custodianship of the .
Notable members
Donald Mackay, murdered Australian anti-drugs campaigner
