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Amherst News
June 2003
CLUB DIARY
Club Diary – Wednesday Meetings
2 July
Club Assembly
Norman and Eunice Jones, Malling Club,
will represent District
16 July
An Amherst evening - the new Committees meet
9 July and 23 July
Speakers - tba when Don is back
Service and Social Diary
Friday 4 July
Music at Ightham Mote.
Thursday 17
July
Quiz of Quizzes.
Saturday 13
September
Our 25th Anniversary Dinner
Sunday 21 September
Marie Curie Cycle Ride
Wednesday 8
October
The District Governor's visit
Friday 31 October - Sunday 2 November
The District
Conference
Friday and Saturday 14-15 November
"Children In Need" Collection
Amherst Award for Outstanding Community Service
In June, President Jane presented the Service Award to Mrs Ann Dawson, in recognition of personal and public Service to the community of Sevenoaks since 1973.
Ann Dawson has given unstinting support throughout the years to individuals and organisations, and through both Town and District Council membership. She has twice been Town Mayor and once Chairman of the District Council.
Ann consistently 'tops the poll' in elections because of her friendly, efficient way of getting things done. Although herself being diagnosed with MS in the early 1980s, supported by her family and friends she continues to be involved throughout Kent - making her journeys by public transport.
At the presentation, Ann thanked her friends and colleagues for their support, but this was an opportunity for the community to say a big 'Thank You' to this very special lady !
NEW PRESIDENT HARVEY SPEAKS
Accentuate the positive,
eliminate the negative.
I hate annual "themes" or slogans. The annual Rotary cycle is essential
for communication and for financial management but is not helpful in relation
to service programmes. It is not surprising that a person achieving the honour
of appointment as RI President, or District Governor, or Club President, will
want to leave their mark upon their year of office but does it help or hinder
continuity of Rotary service?
Motivation is an important responsibility of any leader but for me the annual slogan does nothing to help, it is more often the butt for jokes and then ignored.
I
consider it to be a negative ripe for elimination.
As for the positive we need look no further than Jane's commitment to our Club
during this last year as our first lady President. She has been "mum",
a full time professional in partnership, and Club President all at once.
In my
experience Rotary is not particularly family friendly, it’s a "generation
thing"! Jane has managed to involve her family in Rotary activities most
successfully, culminating in their contributions to our annual dinner-dance.
If Rotary is to flourish it is an example to follow.
Thanks Jane for your total commitment.
So, no slogans but buckets of commitment, that's our way forward.
MONEY!
Last Saturday Mel, Eric, Ken and Bill with better halves supported Malling Club’s Friendship Night and won First Prize!! £150!!!
They had to specify A Good Cause there and then, and chose Spring House as a cause to whom that sum would make a noticeable difference.
Well done, all (although the cynic might conclude that Catford were no better than second because we generously lent them Eric).
Main Points of the June Meeting of the Club Council
Ken Arthur
The discussions
we had were mainly of a financial nature.
Council agreed the following donations:-
£750 to Rotary Foundation.
£300 to the Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) project.
£300 to Spring House.
£300 to Chipstead Lake Cheshire Home.
£300 to Sevenoaks Volunteer Bureau.
£300 to St John's School Fruit Campaign.
Council also agreed that the proceeds of the Musicathon should be shared equally
between Kent Air Ambulance and Sevenoaks Age Concern. There remains a decision
to be clarified regarding the £160 raised by Age Concern on the Sponsored Walk.
Grant will be closing the Ken Veryard Fund as it has served its purpose.
Council agreed the following payments from the General Account:-
£100 to cover GSE Team costs.
£150 to Bartholomew Lawrence to assist with his travels with the National Youth
Choir. Council felt that this payment should come from the General Account
rather than the Charity Account in view of Brian's connection with the Club.
The subscription was agreed at £180 per member and agreed with amazingly little
discussion. Grant warns of the possibility of a small deficit at the year end
on the General Account.
It would appear that more guests than originally envisaged will be coming to
Ann Dawson's presentation which may lead to an extra cost for the Club.
Grant would like any outstanding accounts and expenses claims to be given to
him before the year end.
Jack Wilson has resigned as a Trustee and Geoff Brown has taken his place.
John Berwick will be Chairman of Trustees for the forthcoming year.
Finally Harvey did not have the opportunity to give us an update on the 25th
Anniversary Dinner but will do so as soon as possible.
Cycling
To Serve................
Four
Days at Lake Garda
Derek
Another year has flown by as they seem to do for us of a certain age. The compensation for the rapid passing of the past year is that once again it is time to meet up with our international Rotarian Cycling friends.
Our host this year was the Rotary Club of Riva Del Garda, a town situated on the northern end of the lake in the province of Trentino.
The UK branch of Cycling To Serve has twenty members, seven of which together with their wives/partners travelled to Italy. Surprisingly this number included three members of Amherst - Ken, with Sally, Graham, and myself with Eileen.
We were allocated the Hotel Lago Di Garda on the edge of the lake. Two other 3 star hotels were used to accommodate the 116 Rotarians. We shared our Hotel with our flat earth friends from Holland, with whom us Brits seem to have a mutual affinity.
After an excellent buffet breakfast each morning we made our way to the local Sports Centre where we were put into groups depending on the distance we had chosen to cycle that day. Eileen and I decided on the 50km route, Ken chose the 75 km, and Graham went with the hard men who were to tackle a mountainous 100km.
Non cyclists are also catered for, with boat trips etc while the pedallers are away.
Each group left accompanied by two very fit-looking young Italian cyclists from the local cycling club. We also had a following car which carried drinks etc and would provide back up should anyone have a mechanical or physical failure.
The underlying trend was definitely UP as we slowly climbed out of the valley through what seemed like hundreds of hairpin bends. ‘No pain , No Gain’ is what Eileen has said she will have inscribed on my gravestone, but she had to admit that the gain was the fabulous view of small villages and lakes we could see as we looked down.
Our guide was constantly riding up and down our group making sure that all his charges were ok. This climb of 15 kms was one of many that we did in four days. ‘What goes up must come down’ as they say and we enjoyed some good descents with the breeze giving us welcome relief from the 34C heat.
Each evening we all had dinner together at the largest hotel, usually 4/5 courses of the highest standard. finishing with the friendship dinner on the final night. Lots of wine, great food, plus lots of laughter. Old friendships renewed, new ones made.
Roll on May 2004 when we will meet again in Wischoten Holland. There was more than a rumour that Sally Marsden will be on two wheels for this one.
GENEOLOGY
Which Gooseberry Bush?
By Geoff
A prize website for genealogists is now www.census.pro.gov.uk, which contains the UK 1901 census data, but although you can get close to an ancestor of the time by finding the right name and an appropriate age and place of birth, you have to pay, (50p or so, on-line or by voucher) to see the detail.
The Latter Day Saints' website wvw.famiIysearch.com has an amazing database which includes among other blockbusting lists downloadable free details of our 1881 census and an International Genealogical Index of registered births or christenings, marriages and deaths. Occasionally ancestors can be directly traced back through already logged successions, and having stumbled across the family of grandfather Brown's mother-in-law I find myself descended from William the Conqueror, Alfred the Great, Emperor Charlemagne, King Coel of the Ancient Britons (Old King Cole, born about I25AD); and Clodius II, King of the West Franks, born about 6AD - that’s nearly eighty documented generations. Who worked it through, when and why? And any advance on 6AD from our members?
Of course, we don't believe anything we read on the Internet, do we?
Unless we want to………
Reflections
A study of the District incoming Presidents' photos in Rotary South East revealed the following interesting (or maybe not) facts:
1. 7.5% are female, a third of whom are members of Breakfast Clubs.
2. Two have had the RI emblem surgically transplanted.
3. At least two others should seriously consider having the same operation.
4. Seven are named David, five John but, surprisingly, only one is called Harvey.
5. 99% have more hair than me.
6. 35% admit to having failing eyesight and 65% are too vain to wear their spectacles.
7. 7.5% are “Chartered something or other”?.
8. Finance/Banking are the most common occupations with education the next most popular (or rather, numerous).
9. Philately and gardening are the most popular hobbies – which they can forget all about for the next twelve months!
10. Harvey is even more handsome in print than real life.
Anon
(But look out for a Chartered non-spectacle wearer with more-than-thinning hair. Ed.)