For decades, Ladies Circle was considered to play second fiddle to Round Table. Many clubs consisted of wives of Tablers, with their agendas mostly following the agenda set by men.
As Ladies Circle matured, the organisation not only aspired for autonomy, but to be considered on equal footing with Round Table. From 1999 onwards, multiple approaches were taken to create an understanding with no concrete conclusions. This was due to inconsistent board agendas, limited budgets to meet up, and difficulty in communication.
This item became a central focus for LCI President (2004/2005) Elena Charalambides, who insisted that the two organisations work in collaboration, and not one in front of the other. Discussions were started between Elena and RTI President Tom Albrigsten on how to formalise this understanding, with Tom expressing “…we can learn a lot from the ladies”. This was the origin of Side by Side.
Memorandum of Understanding
This belief carried on the following year, with the next step being the formalising of the agreement with a Memorandum of Understanding. This MoU between Round Table International and Ladies Circle International was signed on 15th April 2006 in Livingstone, Zambia. The signatories were Simon Cusens (RT Malta) and Sylvia Mwansa (LC Zambia). One copy of the certificate is located at Dar il-Mejda.
Side note: During the same event, the RTI President was able to collect his chains of office, which had been left unattended next to a swimming pool at the previous ARTSA. As part of the penalty resulted in copies of the RTI Directory for the Round Table Africa Region were sponsored, including their postage requirements.
RTI doubled down on this commitment by adding the following item to the Aims and Objectives (at the time known as Aims and Objects):
To initiate, develop and improve working relationships with Club 41 International, Ladies Circle International for fellowship, networking and Joint Service objectives.
This made it the obligation of the RTI President of every subsequent Board to make it part of his agenda to reach out and reinforce this relationship. Later on, RTI would add Tangent Club International and Agora Club International to this item.
The name “Side by Side”
The term “Side by Side” came out of a discussion between representatives of the two organisations in Nicosia, Cyprus. A logo inspired by a Yin-Yang design was chosen.
Side by Side pin
As part of the new understanding, a Side by Side pin was created. All the proceeds generated by RTI from the sale of these pins, was donated to and LCI service project. This project was led by LC Denmark, and involved an orphanage in Nepal.
Written by Christopher Mintoff
With input from Simon Cusens, Patrick Morganti, Moffat Nyirenda, Tom Albrigtsen, Rikus Badenhorst,
The first version of this article was published on 15th April 2025; the 19th Anniversary of the signing of the MOU.