ENCOURAGING more women to become members and eradicating polio by 2014 are just two of the ambitions of the Brentwood man who has been appointed to lead the county's Rotary clubs.
Peter Dowse, 63, of Kelvedon Hatch, has been named District Governor of the Rotary 1240 district – something he described as a "great honour".
Mr Dowse is a member of the Rotary Club of Brentwood Breakfast and in his new role he will now oversee the work of the 59 Rotary clubs in Essex and Hertfordshire for the next year.
He said: "It really is a great honour.
"I love this organisation because it is non-political, non-religious and does so much help both here and abroad."
He added: "I couldn't have done it without the support of the Brentwood Breakfast Rotary Club."
Turning to the year ahead, Mr Dowse said: "As well as pursuing the national charity foundation I am pushing clubs to increase their membership and support our programmes.
"These include supporting Thriftwood School in Chelmsford and our life education programme for primary schools in the area."
Mr Dowse lives with his wife Mary, 65, in Stocksfield and has three children and four grandchildren with a fifth on the way.
He joined Rotary in Kensington, London in 1996 while he was working as a superintendent in the Metropolitan Police.
He recalled: "I was asked to join their lunch club and became president three years later."
Mr Dowse left Scotland Yard in 1999 and began working at Basildon and Thurrock College as a lecturer in education and training.
He joined the Rotary Club of Brentwood Breakfast the following year and became their president in 2005, a position which he kept for a year.
Mr Dowse was then asked if he wanted to serve with the district as the youth officer.
He took up this position and held it for four years before becoming assistant governor.
He was informed in 2010 that he would become district governor and was selected against many other prospective candidates.
As the district governor, Mr Dowse's role includes visiting all clubs in the district.
He added that he will take part in any activities that are asked of him to help raise money for the charities.
"I am already set up to do Foulness Bike Ride, which is 24 miles, and a 24km run for Chelmsford Rotarians, and no doubt Harlow will put my name down for the abseil down the water tower," he laughed.
Mr Dowse has travelled the world through Rotary, visiting Amsterdam in November and, more recently, San Diego.
"It was a remarkable time and I am trying to encourage other Rotarians to travel and see what we do further afield, although many do already," he said.
"The position of governor is a full-time job – how people have managed to work full-time as well as being in this position, I just don't know."
Mr Dowse is also a magistrate and a registrar for Warley Parish Church.
