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Amherst News
April 2006
Editor Ron Adams
amherstedit@aol.com
This next month we wish a happy birthday to:
Sheila Cotton and Anne Solomon on May 1
Sandra Welham on May 2
Dee Spicer on May 9
Valerie Harland on May 11
and John Berwick on May 20
Our programme will be:
26 April, Mark Evans, S D C
27 April, District Council Meeting at Hadlow
29 April, Annual Dinner Dance at Wildernesse
3 May, Annual General Meeting
10 May, David Greenfield. Overseas Teaching
13 May, (a.m.) District Assembly at Maidstone
13 May, “Miss October” at Aisher Hall
17 May, Amherst evening
24 May, Steve Mellers. Crimestoppers
and publication of May news
CHARITY GOLF DAY 21 APRIL
What a marvellous Day! Possibly one of our best. There seemed to be a special chemistry.
We had 83 players this year, back to our best following a dip to 59 last year possibly due to Easter. We raised about £4,300 and will be sending a cheque to Hospice in the Weald for £3,500, leaving nearly £800 for the Club charities.
We managed to have the driest day of the week. It seemed to get warmer as the day went on. I have not seen so many people in short sleeved shirts for over 6 months.
We got a lot of public plaudits this year. Brendan Walsh, captain of the winning team in the morning was effusive in his praise – of the golf course for being the best in Kent – of the catering (can you really have too much?) – and of the organisation. He considers that this is the best charity event he attends. Peter Bennellick the Chairman of Hospice, who played, and John Ashelforth the Chief Executive were both grateful for the funds we had raised for them but also that we have produced a successful event for the future. Indeed we were ‘told’ by several people that we have to organise another Golf Day next year.
We had 17 members supporting, including Harvey. In addition to the general organisation of the Day, Mel and Graeme extracted large sums from the player’s wallets. Malcolm raised the record sum of £305 on the 13th tee, up from £190 last year; was this really because of the incentive of a £20 refund if they hit Grant, later Ron Adams, doing duty on the green?
Again many thanks for all your efforts. The Club can be more than satisfied with the reputation we now have for putting on a quality event.
Gordon & Simon
District Quiz Triumph!
Our hearty congratulations to our team of Dee, Jeanne and Gladys who won the Inner Wheel District Quiz.
They hold the Rose Bowl and Shield for a year and won a bottle of wine each. We are extremely proud of our team, as I am sure Rotary is of these exceptionally brainy wives.
Ena
Derek writes
It has been a successful month for the club, not least because I had the great pleasure of inducting Elaine Bracken who becomes the second lady member of Sevenoaks Amherst. I am sure that Elaine will be a great asset to the club in the years to come and we hope that she will enjoy the fellowship.
Unfortunately the Stroke Awareness day organised by Harold did not attract many clients for blood pressure checks. It is a pity but maybe it is time to move on from this project. Many thanks to Harold and his team for all their efforts.
Last but not least was the visit that Mel and myself made to Roubaix earlier in the month. Tony had finally managed to persuade Sevenoaks Primary School to twin with the St Francis of Assisi school in Roubaix and we were there to see if all the effort was worth while.
We arrived to find four members of the Roubaix Est Club outside the school to greet us. The fourteen girls from Sevenoaks aged 10 to 11 years were already sampling French teaching methods. When they all emerged from their classrooms for the lunch break it was difficult to imagine by the way that they were playing together that these children had only just met and that they could not speak each other’s languages.
After lunch we were ushered into the assembly hall for a recital from the school’s choral group and it was time for Sevenoaks to show their talent. The Sevenoaks Primary School’s Dance Group trained by teacher Leighanne Wheawall took the stage, all wearing red T-shirts and looking very professional. They proceeded to give a great display of modern dance accompanied by quite loud but well chosen music. Mel and I were both extremely impressed, and by the sound of the applause so were their hosts.
I hope that the twinning will continue as this in my opinion is what Rotary is all about.
And finally last Friday Gordon and Simon organised another very successful Golf Day with over £4000 raised for Hospice in The Weald and our own Club charities . Well done everyone.
Community, Vocational & Educational Services
Tony’s Committee has received a raft of “Thank you” letters in acknowledgement of our support for good causes.
“I would like to send a very big “Thank you” for helping us to go over to France.
It was a very enjoyable day. It was jam-packed but a good time was had by all.
I know parents and pupils are appreciative of your support.”
- Sevenoaks Primary School
The club is extremely grateful for this contribution. It will make all the difference.
- Sevenoaks Phab Club
“We are deeply grateful to Amherst Rotary for the additional financial sponsorship which has been provided to the young lady from Sarajevo. She was not far behind the winners [from Ukraine, Tunisia, Germany and UK].”
Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition
“We would like to thank you very much for the very kind donation of £300 to sponsor Christopher Myers. It was very greatly appreciated.”
- The Rotary Club of Medway District Handicamp 2006
“Your support really does make a difference to DebRA and helps us to continue supporting people with EB through the services we provide.
DebRA “Working for a life free of pain”
News from Amherst Inner Wheel by Ena
We all enjoyed a great day out at MacBeans Orchid Nursery near Lewes followed by a really delicious lunch at a nearby hostelry. Mary and Dee had organised this outing which was additionally enjoyable as some of the Sevenoaks Inner Wheelers came with us also.
The Bridge Tea was a great success even though we missed Mary who was sadly very sick with pleurisy. Kippington Hall has been redecorated and last year’s problem of sound echo has been eliminated.
We had 19 tables of players and managed to provide a very good tea for them all. Gladys got us organised on the catering front and the tea urn was working flat out.
Our thanks must go to the Rotarians who so stoically helped to park vehicles and put out tables and chairs - and clear same away at the end. Plus of course our washer-upper-in-chief, Ray Gulliver.
Thank you Rotary very much indeed.
You will be pleased to hear that a very good sum indeed is going to Demelza House.