The District Governor Writes

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We are now half way through our Rotary year, and I thank Clubs for the friendship and fellowship that both Anne and myself have received during my Club visits and your charter evenings.
  It continually amazes me of the inspirational activities that Clubs involve themselves in, and the variety of ways they raise funds to serve their local communities in service and humanitarian projects throughout the world. A special thank you for the efforts and commitments by almost all Clubs within the District to meet our goal of raising at least £100,000 in our District to eradicate polio for the children of the world. I am encouraged that through the theme ‘Sow the Seeds of Love’ many Clubs are involving members through service projects both within the local community and throughout the world. As we listen to the world news, read our daily and local papers, there is so much for us as Rotarians to do. We are constantly reminded of mothers and children who daily have to carry fresh water many miles, live under the threat of polio and struggle to feed their families affected by famine or other conditions caused by natural disasters.
  Our President Bhichai Rattakul reminds us that through humanitarian service we are offering hope to those who have almost given up on life and helping to Sow Seeds of Love many have taken root, and are changing lives for the better.
  As we enter 2003, now more than ever the challenges of a changing world call upon us Rotarians to do our part to promote international understanding and peace. Through Rotary service we help relieve human want and suffering. By constantly striving for the goal of world peace, Rotary makes its greatest contribution to society.
  To achieve our goals we need more help and it is therefore our responsibility to recruit quality members that will make the difference. This is not an option but our obligation. My greatest hope for the second half of our Rotary year is that we move forward positively and that through service we Sow Seeds of Love and hope for future generations.
John Bendall

 

 

Stroke Awareness Day

By Bruce Liddle, D. Community and Vocational Service Chairman

 

In the House of Friendship at District Conference 2002 we saw lots of interest in the Stroke Awareness Day to be held on Saturday 5th April 2003.
  During the Conference approximately 70 people had their blood pressure taken. Out of this group 10 people had raised blood pressure and were advised to have it rechecked by their GP in the near future. One individual had an irregular pulse rate that he/she did not know about and was advised to visit their doctor the following week. It was suggested that Conference was responsible for exerting additional pressure on the circulatory system!
To help Clubs prepare for the day four District group meetings were held in November in conjunction with the Stroke Association.
  Clubs are being encouraged to organise free blood pressure checks in their communities by qualified medical staff. It is hoped that a record number of blood pressure readings will be taken on this day in church halls, community centres and other suitable locations. Members of the public who have had their blood pressure taken will be given a card for them to take to their GP so that they are able to discuss its implications and, if necessary, plan follow-up readings. Stroke is the single main cause of severe adult disability in the United Kingdom and one of the biggest causes of death in this country.
  The Stroke Association is the country’s leading charity solely concerned with stroke, providing support to people who have had strokes, their families and carers.

 

  More information from Bruce Liddle and the Stroke Association web site www.stroke.org.uk

 

 

 

 

 

A Wonderful Christmas Gift

This e-mail, from Bryony Pichanick of New Hope Villages, Zimbabwe, was received by Aquabox Operations Manager, Rotn Kevin Powell

  Kevin ....... Greetings! Yes, the Aquaboxes have been one of the best items we have ever received in our containers. Every item inside is valuable to our people. What amazed us was the excellent quality of the goods inside, as well as the usefulness of each item selected. Our people are the poorest in our society, so to receive something brand new is unforgettable in itself.

  We serve the truly homeless, who live in plastic shelters in the open places around the city, and in the large destitute holding camps on the outskirts. These people are always drinking dirty water from holes dug along some stream bank, often dried up. In this country Bilharzia is in every open water source, as well as many other filthy things.

  The day the boxes arrived at our warehouse, the headline in one of the newspapers was " CLEAN WATER RUNS OUT. " And it literally has. The Government has run out of foreign currency to buy the necessary chemicals which purify the water. I read an article that one of the bacteria to be found in our water is an ecoli ..... human waste bacteria, and all water has to be boiled before using for cooking, drinking etc. Since that day there has been no chemical in the water and it may last for a very long time.

  It was six months ago that I walked the city looking for affordable water filters for our staff in town and our people on our Agricultural Training Village. Nothing was to be found. So the Aquaboxes are truly a gift from the Lord Himself. All our staff have received a box and filter, as well as our village people. They have also made wonderful Christmas gifts! All kinds of surprises await them inside. We are also giving our staff and village people Christmas food boxes .......... food and soap, candles, matches and other miscellaneous. So this Christmas will be bumper!

  We are being selective as to who gets the filters amongst our town people, because most cannot read and the concept of filtered water is beyond many. For generations they have accustomed themselves to bad water. However, there are single mothers with children who could benefit greatly, remembering that all our people live in the open. When the filter is used up the box is wonderful for storage, especially of foodstuffs.

  So we say THANK YOU!!!!!! on behalf of many. We do hope we will be given more at a future time. A truly wonderful Christmas gift for all. Blessings to you all and thank you for caring so committedly.

Yours In His Service, Bryony Pichanick (Mrs) Chairperson,
New Hope Villages. Co-ordinator, Northside Destitute Care.

Visit to France

Forty members of Keyworth & Ruddington Rotary Club and a second party from various Clubs enjoyed a trip to Paris and Reims in aid of Hope & Homes for Children.

  Among the highlights in the French capital were a guided tour of the Marais District and a Seine voyage on a 1000 seater Bateau-Mouche. Leaving Paris, the group visited Reims and in Epernay, after a drive round the vineyards, arrived at Mercier champagne for a tour and tasting. The highlight of the evening was a candlelit gourmet champagne dinner, for which K & R were joined by the group on the second coach.

  Rotn Frank Trout of K & R says, "Congratulations to Riviera Travel for making the trip possible. The real bonus is that, as money can be gift aided, more than £1600 will be donated to Hope and Homes for Children." 

DISTRICT QUIZ

Charles Tyrie, D. Membership Services Chairman, reports 

  The date of the final has been changed at the request of the District Governor as he is no longer available for the original date and would like to be present to witness and enjoy the head to head clash of the group finalists and to present the prizes.

  The final will now be on Wednesday, 26th February 2003 at 7.00pm in the Queen Elizabeth 2nd room at the Royal Regency Banqueting Suite, Ilkeston, the venue for District Council meetings and the most central location for all the finalists. Buffets will be available at a cost of £6 a head and I hope that all participating Clubs will be able to bring some supporters, who will also be able to take part with a small prize for the supporter with the highest score.

  The format will be similar to the first round, i.e. four Rotarians per team and the timetable is set out below. To promote good fellowship, I have invited the runners-up to take part in the "Best of the Rest" - however only an original finalist from each District group can be the winner of the District Quiz. In effect I shall be running a Premier League and First Division Quiz concurrent with the same/similar questions. The quiz room will be a non-smoking room.
7.00pm to 7.30pm - The quiz teams and supporters arrive and the bar open.
7.30pm to 8.15pm - Part 1 of the Quiz
8.15pm to 8.45pm - The buffet to be served and the bar open.
8.45pm to 9.30pm - Part 2 of the quiz
9.30pm to 10.00pm - The declaration of the winners and presentations.

 

Learning Life Skills

THE DISTRICT RYLA WEEKEND

By Graham Warburton For the third year running District 1220 offered the Rotary Youth Leadership Award and it was by far the most successful in terms of the take-up of the places available. Information about the scheme has obviously been more widely available as many more Clubs in the District asked for information and, although not participating at present, many of them have planned to sponsor a young person in their Club’s programme for the coming year. 

  Twenty-five young people between the ages of 16-18 attended the November 2002 course. It was organised through the District Youth Activities Committee (Graham Wallace, Chairman) and organised and administered by Rotn Graham Warburton (Worksop) who is a member of the District Committee. The weekend is directed by the staff at The White Hall Centre in Buxton, with the emphasis on outdoor pursuits that use and encourage leadership and team-working skills. Students work in teams and use the many outdoor and indoor facilities offered by the Centre. 

  At least two Rotarians are on hand as mentors and evaluators, and the Saturday evening meal is conducted with guests and Rotary toasts and votes of thanks. 

  The end-of-course questionnaire revealed that many RYLA candidates wanted to participate in other Rotary activities and also wanted to know more about Rotary and what it is all about. Their enthusiasm had been heightened by the talks given by two young people as part of the Friday and Saturday evenings’ activities. 

  A previous RYLA student, Graham Blackman, was Friday’s guest. After learning about Rotary opportunities on his course he had arranged a "Camps and Tours" trip sailing in Sweden. Saturday’s speaker was Vicky Smith who had spent a year in Argentina on the Student Exchange scheme. Her interesting and informative talk held her audience captivated and she had lots of questions from the floor. 

  The type of candidates Clubs should be seeking are young people who already show some potential as leaders. They should be self-motivated and have a genuine desire to learn from the course and take away from it life skills through participation. It is certainly not for those who think it is a weekend’s holiday, or a dating agency, nor is it for those whose response is "Well, I’ll give it a go, nothing better to do". Clubs should do their best to interview their candidates and satisfy themselves of their commitment and enthusiasm – after all, Clubs do not want to waste the money they work hard to put into their funds. 

 

The adults pictured in the back row, from the left, are Peter Thorpe (White Hall Centre); Rotns Roger Pursey, Graham Warburton, Christine Warburton and John Newton; then Max Holiday and Andy 'Spanner' Spencer (White Hall).

 

 

Walter Hayes

Walter Hayes died on December 27th 2002, two days after the death of his wife, Elizabeth. This appreciation is by John Worsley, President of RC of Beeston.

 It is my privilege to attempt to summarise in a few words the Rotary life of our late member Walter Hayes. I have known Walter for some 20 years, which in his lifetime of almost 92 years is too brief.

  The many people who have known Walter will have their own memories and my comments are my experiences of a man who has been on every Club Council I have known, and on District Foundation Committee for many years. Many have said that he lived for Rotary International and to an extent he did, but he somehow was able to put that same enthusiasm into Probus, Beeston Operatic Society. Beeston Youth Centre, the Methodist Church, Age Concern, Historic Society, Civic functions and until very recently ran a very successful bookshop in Beeston, and those are just the activities I can recall.

  Walter was a man who had boundless energy and could never understand why others did not feel the same enthusiasm. Bank Holidays, for example, were an irrelevance, why should we in Beeston not have a meeting on Bank Holidays?

  Members of the Beeston Club will know Walter as Bulletin Editor, Speaker Finder, Public Relations Officer, Photographer, Archivist, these all at the same time and for many years. How do we replace him? The simple answer is we will not, others will follow and do some of the jobs, as we do in Rotary, but never again will we see one man taking on all these tasks. Rotary International will miss Walter, as will District 1220, but we in Beeston will miss him most of all.

  Perhaps I may share with you my last memory of Walter? On Saturday 28th. December, the day after Walter died, I received in the morning post a letter written in his familiar scrawl. It was the second part of the copy for the January issue of the Beeston Bulletin, sent to me to produce in legible type. The note which accompanied it was dated Christmas Eve, and said "No rest for the Rotarians, as you will see by the enclosed copy since last meeting". Enclosed were ten pages of copy written between the visits that day of eight medical personnel visiting Elizabeth and himself. Such was his dedication. I hope that now he can rest.

  We have lost a Rotarian Extraordinary, but our thoughts and sympathy go out to Barbara and Alan and their family who have suffered two bereavements inside a week. I know the extended family that is Rotary will offer them all the support they ever need.

  Walter would never forgive me if I did not mention Link Evening on Thursday 13th. March 2003! What a tribute to a remarkable man if he were to finally achieve 100% attendance!

 

Rotary Disabled Sports

300 Althetes Enjoy Annual Championships

 

More than 300 disabled athletes competed in the 21st Rotary Disabled Sports Championships held at the Midlands Sports Centre, Coventry on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th November.

The winning team was the North West team, an emotional win as their team leader had died a few months ago. Second place was taken by the Manchester team and the South West Team came third. The athletes competed in twelve sports events ranging from archery, basketball, darts and table tennis to swimming and weightlifting. The aim of the Championships is to promote team spirit and it is a condition of entry that each team has one boy or girl under the age of 18 years old. This was designed deliberately to encourage Disabled Sporting Clubs to encourage young athletes. The youngest athlete who performed this year is just 9 years old and the oldest is 67.

The Championships are organised by five Rotary Clubs in Coventry and they are supported by other Rotary Clubs from many other areas. The Coventry Clubs raise £12,000 through donations and sponsorship to put the event on.

During the coming year the organisers will aim to increase awareness of the Championships amongst those involved with Sport for the Disabled and are interested in talking to potential sponsors. [Report and photo courtesy of Judith Diment]

 

 

Editorial Comment:

Why Only One?

 

Only one Club from D.1220 – Hucknall – supports this important and prestigious event. The question has to be asked – why is there no involvement from the other 57 Clubs in our District? Perhaps too little is known about the championships. So here's one useful piece of information for Chairmen of Community, Vocational and Youth Service committees: the contact is Rotn Peter Offer, RC of Coventry Jubilee, tel 024 7671 3334 or 024 7641 7695. RW

District Groups At the last District Council meeting the proposal to increase the number of Assistant Governors from four to six was approved. The District Executive met subsequently and approved the new District groups. Here are details of the new Club groupings in which the six Assistant Governors will take office at the start of next Rotary year, subject to being elected. Sherwood - AG Roger Pursey (Kirkby in Ashfield) Kirkby, Mansfield, Ravenshead, Retford, Sherwood Forest, Sutton, Warsop, Worksop, Worksop Dukeries, West Ashfield. Derwent - AG David Edge (Derby) Bretby, Burton, Castle Donington, Derby, Derby Daybreak, Derby Mercia, Derby South, Etwall, Melbourne, Swadlincote. Erewash – AG John Hall (Amber Valley) Alfreton, Amber Valley, Belper, Church Wilne, Clay Cross, Eastwood, Heanor, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Ripley. Central - AG Lionel Howard (Wollaton Park) Beeston, Bulwell & Basford, Chilwell, Hucknall, Nottingham, Nottingham Lace, Nottingham North, Sherwood Sunrisers, Stapleford & Sandiacre, Wollaton Park, Trent - AG to be advised Bingham, Carlton, Keyworth & Ruddington, Mapperley, Newark, Newark Castle, Southwell, Trent Bridge, Vale of Belvoir, West Bridgford. Peak - AG Alan Hepworth (Dronfield) Ashbourne, Bakewell, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Chesterfield Scarsdale, Dronfield, Eckington, Hope Valley, Matlock, Wirksworth.

Eloquent Scholars

Five incoming Ambassadorial Scholars and one outgoing gave brief but eloquent "thumbnail" presentations of themselves at the District Foundation Seminar in November. Left to right: Wing Lan (Kitty) Lee from Hong Kong, Kaori Mitsui from Japan, Jennifer Blackman going to Australia in 2003/04, Andrew Bowles from Canada, Akemi Yaguchi from Japan, and Yuka Hishinum from Japan. Invitations to speak should go to the Scholars' counsellors – details in the last Rotary Review or from Rotn Val Lindley, District Directory p16.