Week 45 Homecomings and New Beginnings

Rotary Engagements since July 1                              307
 

Started the week with a Bank Holiday and a birthday!  Not for me but for Joan and we took the opportunity to have a family evening out for dinner and a preview of the reopening of Miss Saigon – have to say that it’s beginning to feel a little like a period piece.  But here’s a nice snap of Joan and our girls! Oh & one of dessert - love a bit of flambee!

Tuesday we were off to Oxford to hear the experiences of our triumphant Vocational Training Team.  Their 2 week stint at Kamuli Mission Hospital training health workers to reduce maternal and infant mortality was not without incident but trained a total of more than 240 workers on a two day course.  A splendid effort – our District has a success to be proud of!

Wednesday to my own club for our Annual General Meeting – good to be reminded of all the things we‘ve done well this year.

Early start on Thursday – over to Badgemore Park Golf Club –not for a round of golf – still waiting for someone to invite me to play there J - but for a forward-looking initiative by Barry Stanley & RC Henley Bridge to widen their appeal by adding the possibility of breakfast meetings for those who find evening meetings a barrier to being a Rotarian.  Great to see some innovative thinking – look forward to hearing of its success in the future.

And then onto another golf club – this time to West Berks and this time for a round of golf.  Designed as a fund-raising event for my charity this year and organised by AGs Gerry Cowan and Colin Corio, 14 of us braved what turned out to be a much dryer day than had been predicted – thanks to members from Ascot, High Wycombe, Princes Risborough and a big contingent from Thatcham for turning out for me!

 Friday evening and off to Africa again - well to tales of African exploits at least.  Originally the work of Wye Valley School Interact Club (Interact being the Rotary family members who are 12-18 years old), the Wye Valley Zambia Project is now principally the province of the Bourne End Rotaract Club (18-30 - guess what, the original members have grown up with us).  Joining them this year were teachers from Carrington Primary School and Bardwell Special Needs School in Bicester & inlcuded in their activities this year were working with the Special Needs Unit and twinning the Rotakids club at Carrington with Libala Basic School.   

 

The ongoing relationship between this impressive group of youngsters (and increasingly their parents) and their counterparts in Libala is an excellent example of why Rotary clubs should use all their efforts to encourage young people by engaging with Rotakids (8-12), Interact & Rotaract age students.

Saturday morning saw us off to Henley for the major planning event preparing for the new Rotary year 2014-2015 starting July 1^st.  But before that started in earnest I got to surprise our conference stand-in speaker Alan Wolstencroft with a donation of £2,000 from our conference account towards his outstanding work at the Waterloo school in Sierra Leone.  His face was a picture, his words to his club colleagues unprintable – such a pleasure – and in such a good cause!!   After that DGE Tim did a great job leading his team for next year at a great District Assembly – well done Tim!

 

And in the evening to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the founding of the Rotary Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh – super company, great occasion and engaging speaker Andy Robertshaw with tales of his work as historical advisor on Steven Spielberg’s War Horse film.

Very briefly on Sunday I popped round to see Jean Lambert, leading light of the Hillingdon Mencap Jubilee Pool.  Happy to pass over a further £600 for this worthy cause – running total now just over £3,500 – thanks to all who have helped.

Next week – look forward to Episode One of the Sydney Convention Travelogue!!