The Rotary Club of Edinburgh

Bulletin 2,062 - 9th June 2005

THE DAY OF THE CLUB AGM

This was held on 26 May, the Feast of St Augustine of Canterbury in the Balmoral Hotel (Hadrian's Brassiere) and was attended by 65 members and five visiting Rotarians.

St Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to England in 597 AD and charged with the task of converting the pagan Saxons of Kent to Christianity. He seems to have achieved this successfully and it is pleasing to record that of our five visiting Rotarians on the feast of St Augustine 2005 three were Men of Kent (or Kentish Men) from the Medway Club.

After saying Grace, our President Bill Cantley intimated the sad news of the death of Bill Johnston, a member of the Club since 1968 and Past President 1977-78. The meeting stood in silence for one minute in tribute to his memory.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This was constituted by the President at 1.35 pm on Thursday 26 May 2005 in the Balmoral Hotel (Hadrian's Brassiere). The following is a summary of the business transacted.

1. The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 27 May 2004 and those of the Special General Meeting held on 9 December 2004 was taken as read.
2. Annual Report: The Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2005 had been circulated to all members and was adopted.
3. Financial Statement: The Financial Statement for the year ended 31 March 2005 was tabled and approved.
4. Election of Honorary Members: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Sir Peter Heatly and George Brodlie were re-elected and Robert Murdoch was elected Honorary Members of the Club.
   It was intimated that HRH The Duke of Edinburgh would later this year complete 50 years of Honorary Membership and it was agreed with acclamation that this should be recognised appropriately by the Club.
5. Election of Members of Council 2005-06: Office bearers for 2005-06 had been elected at the Special General Meeting on 9 December 2204. Six other Council members were elected and five ordinary club members were granted the right of attendance at Council meetings.
6. Nominations Committee: Four club members were elected to serve on this committee.
7. Election of Voting Delegates:
   1. Three voting delegates and three substitutes were elected to represent the Club at the June 2005 Rotary International Convention in Chicago.
   2. Seven voting delegates and seven duties were elected to represent the Club at meetings of District 1020.
8. Annual Subscription and Honoraria: It was agreed that the annual subscription and the honoraria granted to office bearers would remain unchanged in 2005-06.
9. Jubilee Charity Fund: The Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Jubilee Charity Fund had been tabled and were approved. Three new Trustees of the Fund were elected to serve for a period of three years.
10. Independent Examiner: David Brown CA was elected Independent Examiner for the Club for the Jubilee Charity Fund.

The Annual General Meeting was adjourned at 2.00 pm with a Vote of Thanks to the President, Bill Cantley, for his expeditious handling of the business.

An Appeal from the Club Almoner:

As Almoner it is my duty to keep our President informed about the well being of individual members. In particular the purpose is to keep the President in touch with any members who are experiencing set-backs such as accident, ill-health or bereavement, etc., etc. To do this properly I need to be made aware of any such problems, and the only way this can happen is if my fellow members make a point of telling me when they know of any member who has a problem, ie. Call George Holmes on 339 7474.

The Great Scottish Walk

To ensure the success of this important event more marshals are still required and all who could help with this task are urged to contact Keith Frost or Fergus Gillies as soon as possible. The walk will take place on Sunday 19 June.

Piscatorians In Action Again

Our fly-fishers spent the day of Tuesday, 10th May on Portmore Loch, which is in the Moorfoot Hills 7 miles South of Penicuik. 8 members in 4 boats landed 8 trout with a total weight of 21 lb. The loch is 1000ft. high so we were cold but happy! (George Holmes).

Senior Citizen's Outings

This years outings on the evenings of 17th and 24th May went well, a total of 42 residents from four Care Homes were driven by 20 Rotary Volunteer Drivers with 12 volunteer escorts to the Greentree Hotel in Peebles where they were treated to a High Tea and entertained with some songs by Rotary Singers and Friends. Unfortunately there were insufficient volunteers for one Home on the first evening but all Homes were included on the second night.

Feed-back suggests that all the older people were delighted with the evening and some were sent to bed singing, others had a long lie-in. Care Home staff have spoken very positively about the outings and how the residents enjoyed themselves. A suggestion from the Homes, to be considered for next year, is to bring forward the timing to 4pm for departure and an earlier meal. I would like to add my thanks to all those Rotarians, their wives and friends who help make these evenings such a success - see you next year. Ian Huggan Convener.

THIS WEEK'S SPEAKER

Thursday 9 June 2005: Dr Renee Bleau - Psychology Division, Paisley University.
Vote of Thanks: Heather Shanks

NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKER

Thursday 16 June 2005: Club Assembly
Evening Meeting - Dinner at 6.00pm
Normal price (£14.50), drinks at 5.30pm

PREVIEW

The convenors for next year are putting forward their programs in groups under the headings Service, Fellowship, Membership, Fund Raising, Secretariat and Finance. With many convenors new to their jobs, this is the opportunity for the membership to influence the direction of club activities over the next 12 months.