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Amherst News
November 2004
"My
friend Henri Feltz
Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur,
Man of Vision"
- Mike Parkinson
Through Rotary, Jean and Mike Parkinson have known Henri and Anne Marie Feltz of the Roubaix Est Rotary Club for 25 years. In that time we have become very close friends sharing family occasions and becoming beneficiaries of true friendship.
At an award ceremony in Marcq-en-Baroeul (Lille), Henri FeItz was described by a government Minister and the President of the French CBI as a "self made man of vision, inspiration and charm" who had taken the Textile Industry of northern France to great heights. He was rewarded as a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur in front of 950 persons of National and Regional concerns with whom he has worked and continues to work.
The ceremony was itself inspirational in that it gave focus to all those present who wanted to thank Henri and shake his hand. He presently spans so many roles in the textile industry and banking that it becomes impossible to list them adequately.
As a friend and Rotarian I have found it difficult to understand the lack of recognition Rotary has demonstrated towards such a man. I believe Rotary should have tried to harness his skills and wisdom for the greater benefit of the Rotary International cause. Too many of us will, I regret, always remain little men.
From what I have seen and heard I know now that Henri is to be tasked with more important opportunities of sharing his undoubted skills and friendship, on a larger stage.
This month we not only acknowledge the honour accorded to our friend Henri Feltz, we also record our own honouring of a member of the local community for services to a wider world.
Amherst
Community Service Award - Roz Ward
Don In gram
writes
Last Wednesday members wives and guests packed St Julian's Gallery to hear Roz speak to us again about her Rumanian project. To her surprise and delight she was presented with a Community Service Award, only the third we have ever presented.
The previous awards were made to Ann Dawson for her services on the Council and in the community, and to Harry Garrett for his years of dedication to The Royal British Legion and service to the local community. We take the Award seriously and do not make it lightly.
Earlier this year Roz spoke to us about her dream of a care home in Rumania based on a cherished belief - that care for the needy young and the needy old is so greatly enhanced if the two age groups can be cared for together in the same home.
A Trustee of Roz's charity, David Skinner, spoke of recent activity in fund raising and on the ground in Rumania. Unwittingly, David was in effect seconding our decision to make an Award to Roz in recognition of her dedication to her chosen cause and to her work locally for those in need.
We can only marvel at the time and energy she devotes to these activities which are over and above her earning her living.
President
Gordon’s Reflections
The District
Conference this year, at the end of October, was seen as one of the best.
The National Osteoporosis Society is one of the District Governor's charities for his year and he invited Camilla Parker Bowles to speak for the Society and open the Conference. She looks much better than in the newspapers and spoke well about the history of her grandmother and her mother that had started her interest in the Society.
Professor Purdie then spoke well and amusingly on how many people, mainly ladies, are affected.
Jill Cockrane spoke about the perils of presenting on TV, including her 'rape' by a python, the tail, on a live programme. Ann Widdecombe showed that it is possible for a politician to speak without being party political. Finally, a fast talking Australian told us 'Why men don't listen and women can't read maps”; it's all to do with the brain patterns!
On the social side we had two dinners, 12 of us at Martinis on Friday and 19 on Saturday at Browns. These proved to be excellent occasions to continue our Rotary fellowship, including other Clubs as the restaurants had been taken over by Rotarians; a lot of wine went just in the mutual toasting! Then to cap it all we had a personal reception by the DG and his wife at the door of the Ball; they thought they were popping out for a breather.
Simon is to be congratulated on a most successful first Golf Day at Hever Golf Club. To attract 32 players and to raise over £1,500, divided between Sevenoaks Club and ourselves, is a great achievement.
The Special General Meeting is only weeks away. This is your opportunity to put forward proposals for Officers and Members of Council for 2005/2006 to support Derek in his year as President.
I have left you in Derek's capable hands for 3 weeks while Carolyn and I pop down to Aussieland to see Alastair. We return just in time for the visit to Roubaix and the Churchill Dinner, which Ray and I are attending.
Gordon
Points
from November Council
• All council members were present.
• Details of our Centenary Project, the Age Concern shop, were discussed.
Despite earlier fears it was decided that our much improved financial situation
means that we are not now likely to be embarrassed by its £2500 cost.
Work will begin next month.
The trustees have no objection to loans being made to the charity account from
the general account, to be repaid as soon as possible.
• The Hever Golf Day, (the first of many?) was judged to have been a great
success.
• About eight of the club will raid Roubaix Est RC on Monday, 29 November.
• The next Clay Shoot will be held in midsummer 2005.
• Council will encourage members to support the Marie Curie Daffodil street
collections on 18/19 March 2005.
• Members wishing to circulate boards at meetings should obtain prior
approval from the Secretary.
• Donations of about £550, left over from the 2003-4 District Fun
Day, Ladies' Night and the "Marmalade Jars" project will finally be
paid to their appropriate funds.
• Close to £4500 was committed, as signed cheques, to various charitable
causes, including £2000 to the Centenary Project and £50 to Amherst
Inner Wheel, the latter following their gift to us of two clown costumes to
help our fund-raising activities.
Geoff
Busy, Busy, Busy!
At its last meeting, the Community, Vocational and Educational Services committee
considered no fewer than twenty items and are pleased to report, among others,
the following details:
• A bursary of £100 to Tom Davis to support his gap year coral conservation
Project in Fiji, which he will report to the club on his return.
• Leon Littlechild was very successful in his Tall Ships expedition and
plans to visit the club to describe his experiences. (Due to organisational
constraints in the 16+ group it is unlikely that there will be a similar bursary
in the 2004/5 Rotary Year)
• Links with Wildernesse and Bradbourne Schools are moving forward with
Practice Interviews at Wildernesse scheduled this week.
• Interest has been shown in a spring visit to Tower Bndge.
A visit to Drusilla's Zoo for Spring House organised by the linter Club Liaison
Committee under Roy Thomas's leadership in the summer of 2005 has been confirmed.
• Sevenoaks club has agreed that the Sheltered Shopping event is no longer
a viable activity.
• Scrabble Evenings at Rockdale would be arranged.
• Our specific donation to the Dunton Green Swimming Pool refurbishment
Fund could not be transferred to an alternative project as being suggested in
some press comments.
• Detailed plans for the community Service Award Presentation Evening
for Roz Ward were agreed.
Tony
Fund
Raising
-events both confirmed and under consideration
This is the current position
regarding Fund Raising events during the next twelve months:
Poppy Appeal - Mike had this in hand.
Children in Need Collection -final arrangements being made for the collections
on 19 and 20 November.
Battle of the Bands - Simon is working on the arrangements for this new event
which hopefully, will be held sometime during February/March at Walthamstow
Hall School.
“Applause” - I am exploring the possibility of a Saturday evening
event in collaboration with Hospice in the Weald.
Golf Day (Wildernesse) -Gordon has this event planned for 22 April 2005.
Musicathon - Jane has volunteered to organise this event for June.
Clay Shoot - I am currently trying to arrange a date for this event which is
going to be the Hospice in the Weald 25th Anniversary Shoot'.
Quiz of Quizzes - Douglas has arranged a provisional date of 14 July for this
event, again at Chipstead Sailing club.'
Cyclo Sportive - Derek and I are developing some radical suggestions regarding
the management of this event with the intention of making it even more successful.
A tentative date has been agreed for Sunday 18th September.
Golf Day (Hever) - Simon is exploring the possibility of repeating this event
in 2005 and has provisionally booked it for 7th October.
Bill
Joint
Centenary Project with Sevenoaks Club
Objective:
To enhance the quality of life of the residents of Age Concern’s Hollybush
Centre, in particular the visually impaired and those in wheelchairs who are
unable to get to the shops in 'Sevenoaks, by enabling them to make purchases
of basic goods.
Facility:
An alcove with shelves and. lighting. The front will be a serving counter with
a hatch to allow residents, including those in wheelchairs, access. Over the
counter there will be a security grill. The counter will protrude into the room
providing a shelf.
Construction & Cost:
Carpentry, shelves etc £3,000
Shutter £1,000
Electrics £ 300
Plaque £ 130
This total of nearly £4,500, which includes VAT where it is to be paid,
allows for any extra work within the total budget.
Programme:
The work will be carried out in December. The shutter will take about a month,
probably after the manufacturer has inspected the kiosk.
Payment:
The best arrangement will be for the Club to pay their half of the donation
to Age Concern who can then pay the contractors. Initially this could be for
£2,000, with the rest following as the costs are known.
…..and fund raising?
Our
Inaugural Hever Golf Day
Monday 25
October saw 32 intrepid golfers take to Hever Castle golf course in support
of the joint Amherst and Sevenoaks Rotary Centenary Community Award, the kiosk
at Age Concern's Hollybush Day Centre.
On the day, worries over
the weather were largely unnecessary with sunshine and only one late afternoon
shower.; The wind, though, was an added challenge and I suspect many balls were
lost.
Indeed, in one of the team competitions run on the day, in which yellow ball
is played in rotation by each team member, only one team managed to bring their
ball home!
The event raised £1,557.15, shared equally with Sevenoaks, 31% of the sum required.
Would all club members who helped on the day, and those who offered but were unable to for whatever reason, please accept my thanks. Without you the day would not have gone so smoothly nor successfully. At events such as these, it really is you who make the difference. Thank you all once again.
Simon
The Club is thankful to Simon for the initiative and enterprise which created this event and congratulates him warmly on its outcome.
Correspondence
Walthamstow Hall
Sevenoaks
Dear Tony
Another splendid year! Thank you so much for all your hard work (again!) on our behalf.
I really do appreciate all the time and effort that goes into this week of interviews, and the girls have again been very grateful to all the team for their rigorous questioning.
Please pass on all our thanks, for all that you have done, to the Rotary Club and I am sure that next year will arrive all too soon.
Wishing you well for future
projects you are organising.
Yours
Headmistress
NOTICE OF SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
Notice is hereby given that the Special General Meeting of the Club will be held at 9.00 p.m.on Wednesday December 1st 2004.
The purpose of this meeting will be to elect the Vice- Presidents, other Officers, Council Members and Voting Delegates for the Rotary year 2005-2006.
AGENDA
1. Election of First Vice-President.
2. Election of Second Vice-President.
3. Election of Secretary.
4. Election of Treasurer.
5. Election of six Ordinary Members of the Club Council.
6. Election of two Voting Delegates for R.l.B.l. Annual Conference.
7. Approval of the Club's accounts for the Rotary Year 2003-2004
8. Any Other Business.
Nominations for these posts (with names of.proposer and seconder) should be
given to me in writing at least seven days before the Special Meeting, i.e at
or before the Club Meeting on 24th November 2004. Please obtain the prior consent
of the nominee.
Thank you,
Ken Arthur
Secretary
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The keen reader, if such
there be, may have noticed that this news is wall-to-wall Rotary -a rare event,
too good to last.
Absence in Australia is topical, and I am reminded that Australians are said
to put a rising inflection at the end of their sentences to compensate for the
forebears who went down at the beginning of theirs.
Ed.
We wish a Happy Birthday
this month to
Graeme Gibson on November 20 and Grant Walker on December 7.
Wednesday
Meetings
17 November,
Speaker - Danny Easto, Sevenoaks DC Recyling Officer
24 November, Dr George John, Godden Green Clinic
1 December, Business Meeting and SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
8 December, Offered to Computer Users Fellowship
15 December, Club Christmas Party
Service
and Social Diary
10 November
to 1 December, Wildernesse School Programme of practice interviews
19-20 November, Collections in aid of BBC Children in Need Appeal
29 November, Annual Lunchtime raid on Roubaix Est Club
12 January, District Council