The Rotary Club of Edinburgh
Bulletin 2,038 - 9th December 2004
REVIEW
ATTENDANCE
The Christmas Lunch was well attended with 147 people including many partners, ladies from the Inner Wheel and the President of Glasgow, Ian Callendar, the President of Inner Wheel Judith Hutton, Phillip Harris' daughter, Frances from Kingston on Thames Club and Anne Riach from Aboyne.
CAROL CONCERT on SUNDAY
Leith Methodist Church on Junction Place is holding a Carol Concert on 12th December at 8.00pm in aid of Hope and Homes - Rotary's Africa Hope. Malcolm Wylie has the details.
KIDS OUT RAFFLE
At the Christmas lunch, the raffle prize was a weekend at Alan Young's Cottage. This was won by Vernon Williamson but curiously claimed by Melinda Wallace. There were other prizes too including whisky, wine and the teddy bear named Napoleon for Judith Sischy. The proceeds, £500 is to go towards the cost of KidsOut next summer.
CHRISTMAS PARCELS
This year we have 37 volunteers to act as distributors. If you are one and have not already collected your parcels, you should do so by noon tomorrow (10 December) from the Edinburgh Furniture Initiative, Elizafield off Newhaven Road, opposite Comet.
COMPETITION
There is to be a competition over the Festive season for the best bulletin article. The topic should be on "Favourite Family Stories" Entries of about 50 to 120 words should be submitted to Tim Simpson or Sandra Campbell by 12 January 05. A bottle of wine will be presented to the best entrant. As judged by Tim and Sandra.Their article (and possibly all) will be published in the Bulletin.
FOCUS
OUR CHRISTMAS LUNCH
We were greeted by Iain MacLaren on the pipes, and after a preliminary drink, opened with the top table being escorted by Iain to their seats.
Fergus Gillies gave us some seasonal quips, which were coupled with St Andrews Day, trawled from Thomas the Rhymer, Burns and a quotation from Chick Murray, who explains
My father was a simple man,
My mother was a simple woman,
And now you can see the results.
The star of the show was Roger Wheater who captured the festive mood. He avoided such dry topics as the National Trust. Instead he introduced us to an understanding of animal behaviour and psychology, most of which revolves around a cool head, never taking to your heels and judiciously backing away. He kept us thoroughly entertained with his live animal stories, mostly in the wild.
There were several elephant stories which entertained us all. The bull elephant who came into a village where they were brewing beer in a 45-gallon oil drum, chased the villagers away, then the elephant sucked up the lot. Next day, bleary eyed and splay legged, our elephant decided this was a good thing and searched the village for more, thrusting his trunk through roofs of huts. When he eventually blew away one roof the villagers had had enough and that was last of the elephant.
A bear escaped at the zoo, the keeper naturally concerned for himself as well as the public started the search with his shotgun. Hiding behind a tree he heard a noise, looking out he saw an elderly lady with a handbag. She had just enjoyed a delightful meeting with a bear. Fortunately she had some biscuits. When these ran out they parted in opposite directions, the bear back to his cage.
We abandoned our silly hats, well pleased this year by a lunch made by such an appropriate speaker.
PRATTLE
CHARITY FILM PRESENTATION 16th Jan.
The Inner Wheel Club have booked THE DOMINION CINEMA for an exclusive showing of Vanity Fair (a period drama), starring Reese Witherspoon, Gabriel Byrne & Jim Broadbent on Sunday afternoon 16th January meeting at 4.45, with the film starting at 5.10pm.
The entertainment is in aid of Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association. The tickets are only £5.00 or £6.90 for sofa seats and can be obtained from Margaret Cavaye (tel. 667-7136) or the cinema (tel. 447-4771). The Inner Wheel Club would greatly appreciate your support.
NAPOLEON BEAR, AN APPRECIATION
Judith Sischy gave the vote of thanks to Roger for his highly amusing talk on walking with animals. She achieved relevance to both the speech and the club by linking her prize of a huge teddy bear to last week's bulletin article on the bicentenary of Napoleon's coronation to our Christmas lunch. Quite a neat trick.
THE VICE TABLE
Fred Lawson introduced the master comical stroke into a perfect Christmas Lunch by creating an instant topic to break the ice at our dinner places. In place of being numbered, we had named tables. Whilst poking fun at the membership with barbed compliments, some strangely apposite, we must spring to the defence of declared bulletin readers. Our Vice President, can do no wrong when she draws on the bulletin for her vote of thanks, cannot represent the vice table, but who could it possibly have been? Fred's own epithet declares freedom of action.Just so, you latitudinarian.
THIS WEEK'S SPEAKER
Thursday 9 December 2004:Kevin Guthrie and Ayako Namba Ambassadorial
Scholars
Vote of Thanks: Jacqueline Easson
NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKER
Thursday 16 December 2004: Harry Smith - Rotary Youth Leadership Award
Vote of Thanks: Colin Mackay
PREVIEW
Harry is an engineer in oil exploration in the Caspian Sea. As an outdoors
person he has wide ranging interests from mountain rescue to fencing coach,
from parent teacher councils to a five-year involvement in the District
Rotary Youth Leadership Award.