The Rotary Club of Edinburgh
Bulletin 2,034 - 11th November 2004
REVIEW
ATTENDANCE
Last week there were 74 members with 3 guests.
JIM BROWN
There was the sad announcement that Jim Brown died last week after quite a long illness. He joined our club in 1969 under the classification of Electricity Distribution and Supply. His interests were in golf and Scouting for which he was honoured with an OBE. He was a quiet man, with a widely dispersed family. He was a regular supporter of our Club and helped out with several of our projects including Kids Out.
CAROL CONCERT FOR HOPE and HOMES
There will be a Carol Concert on Sunday 12th December at 8.00pm. It is to be held at Leith Methodist Church, which is on Junction Place (off Great Junction Street). Admission to the concert is free, but there will be a collection in aid of Hope and Homes - Rotary's Africa Hope, which is of course one of Rotary's charities and makes this concert worthy of our strong support.
THE CHRISTMAS LUNCH SPEAKER
As promised we have an excellent speaker for the Christmas lunch. Fred Lawson announced that Professor Roger Wheater, a zoologist and chairman of The National Trust for Scotland will give a talk on "walking with animals".
CONFERENCE PRIZE WINNERS
President BC was most grateful to those who gave him their support at the Aberdeen Conference. Whilst it is not necessarily about counting heads, each club contingent was introduced and Edinburgh, with its larger membership was certainly pleased not to be disgraced.
Our president described the event as a good conference if you like conferences. He was also pleased to listen to Lesley Riddoch of whom he is a fan. During a lapse in the event, BC was startled to find that he was being presented with a prize on behalf of the Club; third prize for donations.
FOCUS
KIDS CHRISTMAS PARCELS Jinty Kerr
Yes, fellow Rotarians, it's that time of year again. Last year we gave presents to 25 families with 57 kids, spending approximately £8 on each present. We also gave a sum of money to Edinburgh Women's Aid to help pay for an outing for some 20 kids who were in refuge over the Festive period; we provided 24 boxes of sweeties for the older children of prisoners held in Edinburgh over Christmas; and we made a contribution to St George's School who were fundraising for Childline, Maggies (at the Western) and the Sick Children's Hospital.
I rattled the tin again this year and robbed everyone at the lunch on 14th October. Together with other donations, I have managed to raise the super sum of £585.76. I will probably not have quite enough, and hope to tap the Jubilee Charity Fund to make up the rest of the expenditure. The Club has always been kind enough to signal its approval of our plans, and I do not intend to vary the format by much. Once again, I am indebted to Rotarian Peter Rae for his help with the list of children, and ex-Rotarian John Macaulay for so much help in the acquisition and distribution of those presents.
Women's Aid allows families to escape to secret refuges. They are women who live in real fear of systematic abuse by their partner. Their self worth is reduced to zero. The charity will use our donations for a treat for the mothers and their children. In the past this has been an outing to the pantomime.
There are also gifts for prisoners to pass on to their children. The wee ones are catered for but not the older kids. The fathers have misused presents of music tokens in the past and so two dozen boxes of sweets are distributed instead according to need.
PRATTLE
LOCKERBIE VISIT
David Almond from Lockerby plans to visit Edinburgh today. When he comes he proposes to raffle a bottle in aid of CHAS.
PASSPORT TO INDIA
Neville Belton has received a cordial invitation from the Agora Club in India. They offer hospitality, and to conduct visiting Rotary groups round their historic town and of course the Tajmahal, which they have christened the 7th wonder of the world. The ideal times would either be at New Year or to coincide with Polio National Immunisation Day. For more information contact Taj Hosting [email address withheld from website - please contact the secretary.]
SURVIVORS FROM LOUTH
Dennis Townhill is one of the founder members of the Rotary Club of Louth in Lincolnshire. There are just four founder members left and at the 50th anniversary diner, Dennis boasts that of these he was the only one left standing. He presented greetings and a banner. Torvald Colliander also brought merriment in his greetings from Angelholm in Sweden. However the reports about over indulgence revolved round a few miniature bottles of schnapps and so we shall not embarrass the member concerned. (Or was it boxes of miniatures? Ask Torvald.)
A CHILD'S VIEW
One story from last week's talk bears repeating -
Child) Granddad, were you in the Ark?
Grandpa) No, of course I was not in the Ark
Child) Then why did you not drown?
CHARMED by the POLITENESS of PERTH
Perth can now display a banner, which reads "21st Century City of Courtesy". The award is given by the Campaign for Courtesy. Their inspector spent two years monitoring the town. They were charmed by the service in shops, bars, restaurants the library and hospital.
THIS WEEK'S SPEAKER
Thursday 11 November 2004:Retd. Brig Neil Mackereth - Military Humour
Vote of Thanks: Ian Huggan
NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKER
Thursday 18 November 2004: Ian McCrorie - History of Calmac
Vote of Thanks: Bob Hislop.
PREVIEW
Ian is a retired deputy head science teacher, at Greenock Academy. He
has written books on his lifetime interests, which are Clyde steamers
and ferries. As official historian to Caledonian MacBrayne, we can expect
an informed and fascinating talk from an enthusiast.