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Amherst News
June 2005
Number 305
Editor Ron Adams
Wednesday Meetings
6
July Club Assembly. Guest: Terry Shead, Assistant District Governor
13 July International Committee evening
20 July To Be Advised
27 July The District Governor, Tony Hodges
3 August Business Meeting
Service
and Social Diary
10 July Eric's BBQ Party at Mellow Oak
Jazz Night at Hever
14 July The Annual Quiz of Quizzes, Chipstead
12 August Spring House Outing
18 September The Annual Cyclo Sportive
HAPPY
NEW YEAR
As Gordon
stepped down from the chair, Derek stepped up to centre stage.
In accepting office he paid tribute to a happy and successful year under Gordon's
leadership and looked forward to the challenge of building on past success.
Derek writes …
Initially I had a measure of apprehension about becoming President, however
now that my time has come I am looking forward to the challenge.
Immediate Past President Gordon has achieved a great deal in our Centennial
year and his will be a hard act to follow. I consider that our Club is riding
high at the present time and I will do my utmost to see that we continue in
this vein. If we do this I feel sure that we will be in a position to attract
those elusive new members.
I intend to work closely with 1st Vice President Simon and 2nd Vice President
Colin to implement a co-ordinated three year programme to raise the profile
of the Club. I am looking forward to another great year of the fellowship that
our members provide on a weekly basis. I just wish we could get more people
to experience what we have to offer.
Derek
Centennial
Convention in Chicago
We welcome
Ray, Val, Gladys and Ron back from the Centennial Convention in Chicago, where
amongst many other things they shared a day with Sue and John Allsop from Amherst,
Ohio. Among the 41,000 Rotarians and partners from 169 countries were Sevenoaks
Club stalwarts Jim Davis, Brian Brauns, Alan Waters and Rex Johnson.
The theme of the Convention was Youth and the Future.
A highlight was the presentation
of three Rotoractors from Nepal (that's right, three Rotoractors, from Nepal)
who celebrated the Centennial by planting a Rotary flag on the summit of Mount
Everest. And, amongst others, we saw the next 100 years through the eyes of
2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan Minister of Environment
Natural Resources and Wildlife. (She also featured in last weekend's Live8 from
Hyde Park.)
The predominant impression brought from exposure to the 41K Rotarians and partners
in Chicago is one of a youth and vitality worldwide which makes us seem so old.
We are not alone – a majority of the white faces seen were at the older end of the spectrum but even amongst the Americans Europeans and Antipodeans the average age looked rather less than ours. Among the darker faces we would look positively antique.
One American told me that
as incoming Club President he had been concerned at the age gap between his
membership and the up-and-coming in his community. His first step was to introduce
his two sons to the Club and persuade a couple of other members to do likewise.
The new men and women brought in their contemporaries.
Ron A
Westminster Abbey 18 June
Tony and Elizabeth were on hand to welcome ten of us to the coffee bar, where we were joined at 11.00am by Tony Platt, Keeper of the Lapidarium.
This is the secret repository of examples of the Abbey’s “hard” history - stone, wood, non-precious metals etc as opposed to the written archives (the muniments), vestments and fabrics etc, although there’s an overlap of course, so that Queen Victoria’s Coronation footstool with its royal fabrics is in the lapidarium, and the museum has a lot on display too.
A small door behind Poets’ Corner leads to a long, narrow spiral staircase, going past even smaller doors, to the triforium, the huge mezzanine area which might once have housed chapels for the monks but which is now home to the lapidarium, which Tony has been developing over the last seventeen years, and to the BBC commentary boxes which look down on to the nave and West Door. What a sight !
We heard a little of the Abbey’s history encapsulated in some of the masonry etc there and a selection of biographies before being taken on to the roof for a closer look at the present stonework and the spectacular views (completely inaccessible to the hordes of tourists far below) of the Palace of Westminster. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so enjoyable during a January gale, but in a gentle breeze on a very hot day it was very impressive.
We found an empty (!) and air-conditioned wine bar where Abbott’s was “only”? £2.75 a pint for a late lunch and were away by 4.00pm.
A great visit and I hope we can look forward to more of these special days thanks to Tony and Elizabeth’s connections there. Documents or vestments next perhaps, but plus another go on the roof, whatever?
Geoff
GORDON'S VALEDICTION
You will not be surprised to hear that it is the Centenary itself which has
had the dominant effect on my life; indeed the first registration date for Centenary
Projects was January 2003. I am grateful to Harvey and his Council for their
support during the build-up year.
One of the significant benefits of the Centenary is that it has brought us closer to the Sevenoaks Club. The outcomes were the Project, the Dinner and the Leaflet. The Kiosk for Age Concern at the Hollybush Centre was completed in time for the Centenary, within the budget of £5,000, from the two Clubs, but over-specification! Age Concern was able to increase the range of items they sell. With over 100 people at the centre every day we have been able to make a significant contribution to our Community.
I hope that you would agree that we celebrated the Centenary in style with the Dinner at the Wildernesse Club. I think that the highlight of the Cameo Opera entertainment was the performance of the ‘Police Recruits’! We also produced the Centenary Leaflet which can be a basis for spreading the Rotary message both now and in the future. Most of the credit goes to Geoff, who also produced a French version for our Roubaix friends. Derek, taking advantage of our Wednesday meeting falling on the Centenary Birthday, arranged a special meeting with speaker Bob Ogley and a number of visitors.
We were already an active Club so how did we respond to the extra pressures of the Centenary Year? Tony was concerned that with the requirement to fund the Centenary Project we would not be able to fund our usual community activities. In the event we have funded our programme and left something in the kitty for Derek. This has been possible because in addition to our normal fund raising activities members have supported Bill in many new ones. We raised about £8,500 from our own events this year. However, if we add in those events we organised but passed on the funds directly this figure rises to over an amazing £27,000. I have been reminded that this does not reflect our total contribution to the community because it does not value the vast amount of time that members give.
The list of events we have organised is long, including the Stroke Awareness Day and the visit to the Bell Foundry. The visit of the International Cycling Fellowship was a great example of the international side of Rotary. After a slight concern that our relationship with Roubaix-Est was wobbling a little with no visit in 2004, Geoff and Ken Marsden built it up again with the excellent week-end taking in Canterbury Cathedral and Ightham Mote and not a few pubs on the way!
We are known for being a very sociable Club and our programme included a variety of Speakers, our BBQs, District Conference, Christmas Party and Ladies Night. In addition this year we did our ‘Walk for Life’ at Bough Beach. A party also went to the RIBI Gala Centenary concert at the Albert Hall.
One of the challenges for a Club is how it is able to respond to the unexpected. In our case this was the devastation left by the Tsunami. We were contacted by Paul Topping, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Columbo West, who later came to give us a riveting presentation on the problems they are tackling in the aftermath of the Tsunami. We easily decided that directing our funds to his Club had able to fund our usual community activities. In the event we have funded our programme and left something in the kitty for Derek. This has been possible because in addition to our normal fund raising activities members have supported Bill in many new ones. We raised about £8,500 from our own events this year. However, if we add in those events we organised but passed on the funds directly this figure rises to over an amazing £27,000. I have been reminded that this does not reflect our total contribution to the community because it does not value the vast amount of time that members give.
We have enjoyed a huge amount
of publicity for Rotary and the Centenary this year. It would be easy to say
that this was because we had had more newsworthy items. It is also a tribute
to Geoff, and others, for patiently and diligently sending in ‘copy’. Ron Adams
continues to produce the best Newsletter in the District and scaled new heights
with the Centenary Edition.
This year we gave a number of awards to individuals. We gave Community Service
Awards to Ros Ward and to Jean Parkinson. We made Michael and Malcolm Paul Harris
Fellows. We made Harvey an Honorary member of the Club to acknowledge his loyal
contribution to the Club from being the Founder President.
As President, I have enjoyed the support of the Officers; thank you Derek, Ken, Eric and Geoff for all you have done during the year. Thank you also to all the Chairmen of Committees who develop and implement the programmes in the various areas. Ultimately, however, the success of the Club is made by you the members. We should not forget also the support which we get from our ladies both individually and at our fundraising and social activities.
I have had the good fortune to be President of a great Club with loyal and active members. Through all your efforts I think that this Club has had an exceptional Centenary Year. I hope you have enjoyed it. Thank you for allowing me to be your President.
Gordon
BILL'S
PIGEON
Twenty four
entrants had an enjoyable day at the West Kent Shooting School (WKSS) on Thursday
23rd June when they thoroughly frightened "clays" which were simulating
the crossing pigeon, the bolting rabbit, the walked-up grouse and the springing
teal.
WKSS arranged an excellent days hospitality which resulted in £950 being raised for Hospice in the Weald.
This years Charity Clay Shoot was the second that Amherst have initiated. Working with the Paddock Wood Link for Hospice and WKSS we managed to make it a successful event. However,success came from the efforts of Gillian at WKSS and the corporate support provided by the Charity Aid Foundation( CAF). CAF gave all entrants(11) a day off work and through their Matched Giving scheme were able to subsidise the entry fee.
Amherst's commitment to this event needs very careful consideration before a similar shoot be included in next years fund raising calendar.
Main
Points from Council Meetings
(6, 15 and 27 June)
We continue to try to find the best way to send our funds to support the Tsunami Relief project with the Colombo West RC and hope to make the final decision at the next meeting.
Our new President is working on an economical way of replenishing our stock of club banners.
A publicity stand at the Sevenoaks Fair on 18 June was approved (6 June) and it was agreed (27 June) to issue all members with the “business cards” distributed there, to use at future street collections etc.
Thanks were minuted to everyone who had contributed to the successful barbecue on 5 June.
Committee chairmen discussed their club plans for the coming year and it was proposed that a précis of Club Assembly presentations should be sent in advance to District.
The pattern of meetings for 2005-6 was discussed.
This year’s Cyclo Sportif
will benefit MacMillan Cancer Relief and Hospice in the Weald. A special bank
account will be set up to handle the funds collected.
£100 was donated to the Young Musician of the Year competition (15 June).
GB was co-opted as a full member of Council as Assistant Secretary.
The treasurer reported that our accounts are in good order.
We will raid Wells Club, which inducted Mike Parkinson recently, on 18 July.
Geoff
POSTAGE
STAMPS
Don is still collecting
postage stamps for charity, not only UK stamps but also those from anywhere
in the world.
He is grateful to all members who have passed him used stamps, which are currently
being donated to a Leprosy charity.
SPEAKERS
I would welcome members’
suggestions for potential speakers at dinner meetings.
It is not that I have exhausted my speaker base but rather that other people’s
ideas would bring fresh ideas and possibly something different.
Some members have given me contacts with potential speakers and most of them are included in the programme for the forthcoming year.
Let me have your ideas and thoughts with a contact number or address and I will do the rest. Please.
Don
AMHERST
INNER WHEEL CLUB
We have already congratulated Mary and her playing partner Heather Barbour of
Sevenoaks Inner Wheel on winning the District Bridge Competition.
The Trophy was presented by District Chairman Val Proctor on the platform of the District Annual General Meeting.
AGE CONCERN
The street
collection arranged by Simon raised £648 in about 5 hours.
Congratulations to Simon and all others involved.
And finally ……Gail Hallams
It is time we published a word of welcome to Gail who is with us for some time to come on long-term leave of absence from her Club in New Zealand.
She will be listed accordingly
in the membership list for 2005-6 which will be published later this month.