The Rotary Club of Edinburgh
Bulletin 2147 - 22nd February 2007
REVIEW
Review - Last Week’s Meeting – Th. 15 Feb 2007
President Fred opened the proceedings by expressing to general acclaim, the Club’s pleasure at Bill Stevenson’s recovery from a heart attack and his return to Rotary activity even if (as he was understood to have declared) this would make it necessary for him to give up womanising!It is well recognised that there are absolutely no new jokes; all can be traced back for more than 2000 years to Aristophanes or Plautus and it might perhaps be said that the joke told by the President before saying grace was beginning to show its age. Nevertheless it seemed that most of the company of 71 members, three guests and one visiting Rotarian had not heard it before and it got the meeting off to a cheery start.
Our visitor was Hugh Johnson, Past President of the East Sutherland Rotary Club and a member of the Royal Dornoch Golf Club where President Fred’s cousin is currently Captain. Hugh received a warm Presidential welcome and one of our Club’s CDs of Scottish songs. Stewart Kinsman’s guest, Helen Murdoch who will shortly succeed him as Chief Executive of the Hanover Housing Association (Scotland), was also greeted cordially following which members acclaimed the President’s intimation that 100 tickets had been sold for the Rotary 102nd Anniversary Cocktail Party, though it may still be possible to include a few latecomers.
The meeting was pleased to learn that 15 members and their guests had attended the St Valentine’s Concert at the Queen’s Hall for Swingin’ Lovers and had thereby raised about £100 for Rotary charities.
Application for Membership – 1st Call
Hon Secretary Bill Barr read for the first time, the application for membership from Sir Donald MacKay MA FRSE FRSGS, Chairman, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust in the category of “Economic Planning”, proposed by Alex Wilkie.A Group Study Exchange team from New Zealand will be in Edinburgh from 26 September to 27 October and our Club has been asked to provide accommodation for five team members for four/five nights during that period. Members willing to offer home hospitality to these visitors are requested to contact Stuart Monro.
Inner Wheel Collection, Murrayfield, Saturday 10 March. Edinburgh Inner Wheel is organising a collection in aid of Richmond’s Hope at the Murrayfield Stadium from 11.30 a.m. until the start of the Scotland v. Ireland International Rugby match at 1.30 p.m. Anyone willing to help is requested to contact Bill Barr or John Havard.
I.S.C. “Fun and Asian Banquet” at Britannia Spice Restaurant at 7.30 for 8 p.m. on Thursday 15 March. Tickets at £15 a head can be obtained from Ian Urquhart and I.S.C. members.
Rotary Club of Hertford. Ten members of the Hertford Club will attend our meeting on 29 March.
Visit to Rotary Club of Glasgow. The annual visit to the Glasgow Club will be on Tuesday 20 March. President Fred hopes that our contingent will include a number of ordinary members as well as the Club’s officers. Anyone wishing to go should contact Robin Wilson
Red Cross Appeal Week, 6 – 12 May 2007.
The local Board of the British Red Cross has asked for our Club’s help with various fundraising events during this week. Full details from Ian Huggan or Jayne Forbes, Senior Red Cross fundraiser, (phone: [removed], email: [removed]).
Holi Celebration, 12 noon, Sunday 4 March.
The Scottish Indian Arts Forum invites Rotarians to celebrate this festival
at the Student’s Union Hall, Queen Margaret College, Clermiston.
Contact Mohinda Dhall for tickets at £5 a head which will include food, music and Gulali
The Rotary Club of Galashiels, one of our daughter clubs, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a Charter Dinner on 22 September. Those interested in attending should contact Bill Barr.
R.I. District 1020 Conference, Carlisle, 26-28 October 2007. Members wishing to attend should contact David Thomson as soon as possible.
Speaker: David Kelly, Director, West Lothian Community Health and Care Partnership - a post which brings together primary care from the Health Board and social services from the West Lothian Council. Previously he had been Director of Housing at Livingston and Corporate Manager of Community services at West Lothian.
David’s power-point presentation on “Technology in Care” was a fascinating, informative and persuasive revelation of the remarkable technological advances which are making it increasingly practicable for frail, elderly and disabled people to continue living safely in their own homes rather than requiring institutional care. Patients living alone who are at risk because of physical or mental disability can often be continuously monitored in their own homes by sophisticated electronic surveillance devices which are highly user-friendly and the provision of this service is further advanced in West Lothian than anywhere else in Scotland. The equipment is expensive but is provided to West Lothian patients without charge and the financial outlay on this technology is more than compensated by what is saved by keeping patients out of hospital.
To an audience many of whom are on the wrong side of sixty this admirably presented account of an impressive achievement of applied science was both encouraging and reassuring as was made abundantly clear by their applause and by their response to Alan Young’s warmly felicitous proposal of a vote of thanks.