Club News
From the Club Bulletin, November 2009
District Conference 2009 - Fiona UrquartEarly on the morning of Saturday 3rd October President Roy and I left a wet and windy Largs heading to Glasgow for the 2009 District conference.
For me, this was my second District Conference and I was interested to see how this one would compare with my first experience – the 2008 Conference in Perth. The choice of Glasgow this year made the event much less expensive for individual Rotarians as many, like ourselves, chose to travel on a daily basis so residential costs were avoided. Sadly, a casualty of this financial advantage was the fellowship and social interaction which I had found to be an important part of the 2008 event.
Saturday’s first session consisted of a variety of welcoming speeches and addresses. Outstanding among these was the address by RI President John Kenny’s representative, Andrei Danilenko. I have to admit I had been expecting a somewhat platitudinous speech and was very pleasantly surprised. Andrei was born and brought up in San Francisco in a family of Russian emigrants and has been living permanently in Russia since 1989. He spoke from a very personal viewpoint of his experiences in Rotary and quickly conveyed his commitment to and passion for our vision and ideals. We also met Baxterbear – you may be hearing more of him!
After coffee we were introduced to some new initiatives including the Dollywood Foundation Imagination Library and the Water For Life Project. Bradford Peace Scholar, Francis Kabosha from Zambia, was another speaker – a very passionate (and very nervous!) young man. He works as a refugee officer in his homeland and in his own words ‘hopes to utilize the Rotary World Peace fellowship ... to protect the world’s most vulnerable persons’ – an excellent ambassador for the Peace Scholar undertaking.
Sunday October 4th – still windy and still early morning but at least now dry, we set off again. A highlight of the first session was the excellent report given by the GSE team which went to Canada earlier in the year. I am pleased that Maura Edwards, the Largs member of the team, is eager to maintain her link with us.
The keynote speaker in the final session was entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sir Tom Farmer, a native of Leith with a string of awards and accolades to his name. His talk managed to be forceful, witty, down-to-earth and challenging – no mean achievement.
Conference next year is in Crieff Hydro – hopefully this will restore the missing fellowship element and will prove to be a fine mix of information and community.
An "Eejit's" Tale - Ken Jarrett
Having done no serious walking for decades, and very little at all for the last few years since my wife's damaged knee made walking painful, I volunteered for the sponsored walk to the James McFarlane School. It seemed easy enough - you just kept on walking until you got there. The weather was ideal, cool but not cold, and dry. At first it seemed easy, but by the time we reached Hunterston both hip joints were aching badly. Then I remembered the British POWs in Burma who were forced to march, not 14 miles, but hundreds, on starvation rations - suddenly my aches seemed quite trivial. Also, I knew that when it was over, with some rest, I would be OK again - a privilege not shared by the children at the School.
Finally, Ardrossan hove in sight and we were met by some of the children, their carers, and other Rotarians. We carried on the last half mile to the School where we were greeted by a pupil in full Highland dress, playing the bagpipes, and a great reception from the staff and parents. Half an hour in a chair, with coffee and sandwiches, and I felt much refreshed - looking forward to collecting the money that had been pledged!
In retrospect, I had a great day.
Sports Report - from Eddie McKenzie
District Indoor Bowling 2009: Our illustrious lads came close to winning the Championship at the Galleon, Kilmarnock last Sunday but were delighted with their second place. Oban won the title.
From the Club Bulletin, October 2009
James McGarveySadly, our garrulous Glaswegian is no longer with us. Jim's sudden death came as a tremendous shock. Our thoughts are with May as she strives to come to terms with her loss.
Jim was a remarkable character with a joke for every occasion. He had served faithfully as Club secretary for quite a time, and his meticulous attention to detail was evident in preparing for our District Conference in Aviemore. Latterly he took over the responsibility for our Lottery syndicate. It was evident that he had the Midas touch; and it was with great personal satisfaction that he was able to announce a dividend not so long ago.
He was also a committed churchman and made regular pilgrimage to the grotto at Lourdes as a helper. He was a worthy Rotarian who exemplified the ideals of our organisation with good grace and his special brand of pawky humour.
By way of tribute, a couple of his native tales:
The bloke was reading his Daily Record when his wife sneaks up and batters him with a frying pan."Whit wus that fur," he cries.
"That wus fur the bit o' paper in yir trooser pocket with the name 'Marie Rose' oan it."
"Don't be daft," he explains. "Two weeks ago when a went tae the races, 'Marie Rose' wis the name o' the horse a backed."
The wife seemed satisfied and apologised.
Three days later he is again sitting in his chair reading when she nails him again with the frying pan, knocking him cold.
When he comes round he shouts, "Whit the hell wis that fur?"
"Yur horse phoned!"
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A Glesga woman, with a baby, was in the doctor's surgery. The doctor examined the baby, checked his weight and found it somewhat below normal. He asked if the baby was breast-fed. He asked the woman to strip to the waist and gave her a rigorous examination.
"No wonder the baby is underweight. You have no milk."
"Ah know", said the woman. "Ah'm his granny; but ah'm glad ah came."
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A Rotary Walk for the James McFarlane School - David Walsh
At 9.00am on Friday 25 September, five tabard-wearing Club members and other enthusiastic walkers – Ken Jarrett, Ken Thomas, Dave Walsh and John Watson, accompanied by Assistant Governor Alex Blair, Roy’s wife Ina, and John’s friend Billy Kirkpatrick, left the Willowbank Hotel on their half marathon coastal walk to the James McFarlane Special School in Ardrossan. Support was provided by President Roy as Transport Manager, First Aid and Relief Vehicle Driver. It was noted by Ken Thomas at the start that we would be passing the Isle of Arran. John stated that if we kept the island on our right we should be OK. The rest said nothing.
Occasionally, in the distance, Roy was seen walking his dog and on our arrival at each "stage-end point" Ned always provided a cheering bark of delight, hopefully not just for Ina, but for all of us. Ken Jarrett managed to get donations of £18 from people out strolling on the beach. Well done Ken!
As we progressed past Seamill we were joined by Secretary Jean Couser from the Rotary Club of Ardrossan and, further on, a "heart warming" surprise. The school bus drew up and some children, carers and parents joined us on our seafront walk. At our agreed meeting place, more children were waiting, and as one large group we made our way over the remaining 200 yards to the school. On arrival the sound of the bagpipes, played by an immaculately kilted young man, Colin Forsythe from Largs, rose to greet us.
Inside the school grounds, greeting us on arrival, were more children, cheering and clapping parents, caring and all other staff, outside teachers, visitors, guests, Fiona, Val and Joe, and other Rotarians locally and from over the water. With "not a dry eye in sight" everyone was led into the hall where a wonderful buffet had been prepared. The Head Teacher, Anne McGrattan, was fulsome in her praise for the Largs walkers and the Rotary Club's efforts.
President Roy, back from his media exploits on Radio West Sound, brought a very successful and very happy day to an end by presenting a beautiful bouquet of flowers to Anne, 'Roses' chocolates to the caring staff and last, but certainly not least, boxes of Heroes, to the real Heroes of the Day, the children.
Sports Report - from Eddie McKenzie
District Indoor Bowling 2009 will take place on Sunday 25 October at the Galleon, Kilmarnock. The Club will be represented.
Canada Golf Tour 2010: As part of the on-going exchange with Canada, a party of 12 Scottish Rotarian golfers and their partners are invited to take part in the tour. Applications to be submitted by 6 November.
Coffee Morning
Fiona reported a successful outcome following "brisk" business. The commendable total reached was £570 with one outlay to be met.
From the Club Bulletin, September 2009
Royal International Yachting Dinner at Largs - Ian MacphersonMy last duty as President was to attend the Royal International Yachting Dinner, which was held at Inverclyde Sports Centre on Sunday 20th June. Many of those attending were visiting Rotarians from all over the world - Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, England, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Spain, Italy, Holland, Canada and the USA. The Rotarians had attended the Birmingham Conference the previous week and were then entertained on the yachts of various Rotarians and non-Rotarians who made their boats available for cruising round the Western Isles in order to promote the West of Scotland and to show it off at its best.
They were bused in from the Marina and were met by the Boys' Brigade Band who played very well. This was a Fellowship Dinner to round off the end of the week's sailing - and this happens all over the world at the end of the Conferences.
It was very apparent that those participating had thoroughly enjoyed meeting the different delegates, and some were re-acquainting themselves with friends they had not seen for some time; but the most obvious point that came over was how, as Rotarians, it had brought them together to exchange ideas for having fun as well as fund-raising - and so it would appear that, once again, other clubs are doing their best to put the FUN back into FUND-RAISING.
Also present were the Lady President of Greenock Club with her deputy, as well as Bobby Rae, the local Provost, and his wife.
The organisation of the Clyde Fleet of the International Federation of Yachting Rotarians consists largely of members of Rotary Clubs in Ayrshire and Inverclyde. The Commodore, Robert Burns, is a member of the Greenock Club, and Kip Marina, Tarbert Harbour and Largs Marina were chosen as the best sailing venues.
Many of the Rotarians I spoke to had very strong views about the present Rotary organisation, and it was generally accepted that we should look into the way we do things. Certain procedures should be examined with a view to some traditions being swept aside and thereby introducing a more modern approach which might encourage a younger generation to join.
I found it a very stimulating experience, and one which gave me food for thought.
John Smith
A stalwart member of the Club, John Smith, passed away last month. John served as President in 1984/85. His skills as a gardener reaped substantial rewards for the Club in outstanding annual additions to our funds. John was a down-to-earth individual with strong opinions on many matters but, as far as our Club was concerned, he always gave of his best in support of Rotary ideals and objectives.
District Fellowship Challenge
This year's final was due to be contested between our Mother Club, Ardrossan and Saltcoats, and Irvine Seagate.
James McFarlane School
Our three stalwart trekkers head out from the Willowbank on Friday 25 September in an attempt to reach the James McFarlane School before nightfall; if they don't they will get the belt! There is no gain without pain, apparently. They will be met by pupils from the school as they near their objective; and they hope to raise £20,000 for their efforts. May the wind be at your back, boys.
Probus Bowls - report by Jim Scott
On Wednesday 29 July, seven members travelled to Fairlie Bowling Club for the annual match with (not against!) Probus. Three rinks of triples were played with the teams formed from both clubs. The rain stayed away and a sociable event was held.
Sports Report - from Eddie McKenzie
Scottish Rotary Championships: Ian, John, Carl and Eddie represented the Club at Alloa and came neither first nor last - a commendable outcome.
Golf: Norman Reid, former member, John Cook, and Bill Armstrong took part in the Hunterston's Club Charity Golf event at Kelburn last month. A tasty libation on the tenth tee did nothing to enhance the performance of the team which at that juncture was fairly average. Needless to say, the team name did not appear on the prize list. The good news is that £6,000 was raised for charity; the bad news is that our team were just too charitable - in the true spirit of Rotary, of course.
From the Club Bulletin, July-August 2009
Roy of The RoversAs President Elect Roy assumes the mantle and the Presidential Chain he outline his aspirations and challenges for the year ahead - some highlights from his acceptance speech.
Theme for 2009-10: The Future Of Rotary Is In Your Hands
It is important that we grow the relevance of Rotary within Largs and the surrounding area. The average man or woman still has misunderstandings of the objects and membership criteria of Rotary. If we are out and about and involved, this gives us the best possible chance of removing these misunderstandings and attracting new members.
My own feeling is that the strength of the Club lies in projects close to home; we can best serve the needs of those abroad by our commitment to Foundation.
In the coming year, it is important that we all taker one step back and review what we each want from Rotary, and also what we each put into Rotary. Too many events are still attended by too few members. Surely it is not unreasonable for those organising events to expect the majority of the membership to participate. Too many events are reliant on less than 50% of the membership.
If members have any thoughts about any matter considered to be of benefit to the Club, or any proposals for future events, please contact any member of the Council.
Let OUR theme for 2009/10 be more specific than the general theme: The Future Of The Rotary Club Of Largs Is In Our Own Hands.
Coastal Walk From Ardrossan To Largs - Ken Thomas
This 13.6 mile walk is part of the Ayrshire Coastal Path established by the Rotary Club of Ayr, which stretches from Glenapp to Skelmorlie.
Three codgers from the our club decided that they would walk the 13.6 miles on behalf of McMillan Cancer Support. John Watson, David Walsh and Ken Thomas reckoned this would be easy-peasy; after all, we walk into Largs most mornings and are/were in fair condition. (Should that be recondition?) Anyway, we knew that the going was flat and hoped the wind would be in our backs. We registered and were fitted with an identity tape, a form of ASBO, and a McMillan T-shirt. (This was in case we got lost and someone would hand us in to the nearest McMillan centre.) The organisation throughout the day was first-rate and very sympathetic. With about twenty others (non-Rotarians), and with a friend of John's for company, we left Ardrossan at 10.00am hoping to reach Largs in daylight. It was really pleasant walking along close to the sea away from traffic noise and pollution. The path varied in surface from grassy path to tarmac road and took us past places that are never seen from the main road. Our progress was marked by noticing landmarks as we passed them, though one of us kept saying, "We are passing Arran" - he was still saying that when we were in Largs opposite his house!
Because the path followed the sea line we walked over sandy beaches and rocky shores and this added to the interest. We also were interested to see golfers looking for their golf balls that were lost in the rough; this cheered up one of our number as he empathised with the players. We also remarked on the fact that the public can walk within a stone's throw of a nuclear facility with no hindrance.
Eventually we arrived at the Clark Memorial Church Hall, where we treated to first-class food and hospitality provided by the Garnock Valley Rotary Club, the organisers with McMillan Cancer Support. Some of their members had walked the 100 miles, starting on Wednesday morning and finishing like us at 3.30pm on Sunday. We had a super picnic break of 45 minutes at Portencross which, with the conversation along the way, made the walk a most enjoyable event.
Finally, our thanks to the members and friends whose support made it worthwhile. So far we have raised more than £350.
Sports Report - from Eddie McKenzie
Bowls: A rink has been entered for the Scottish Rotary Championships at Alloa on 2 July. Ayrshire Friendship Cup: Ian Birss, John Hepburn and Eddie McKenzie played in the Ayrshire Friendship Cup at Kirkmichael. We won neither the First nor the Booby Prize. There was a lot of friendship, sunny weather and a good meal, so the prizes did not really matter.
Ian, John, Carl and Eddie are go to Alloa next Thursday 2nd July for the Scottish Rotary Championships.
District Fellowship Challenge
Our 'Davids', Ian Birss, Ken Thomas and Norman Reid, responded to the challenge of the Bothwell and Uddingston club 'Goliaths' to a game of Table Tennis. This time the "Davids" lost by three heads to nil. At least we tried.
Annual Changeover Time
Outgoing President Ian Macpherson (right) performs his final duty in office - the award of the Paul Harris Fellowship to Bill Armstrong.
Ian Macpherson congratulates new President Roy Ellison.
Photos: Grahame Ross
Charitable Donations 2008-09
During the year to 30th June 2009, the Club's donations to charities have been as follows:£200.00 - Largs Youth Theatre
£500.00 - RI Polio Campaign
£500.00 - Schools 4 All
£100.00 - Cumbrae Primary School
£100.00 - Rotary Club of Stones Corner - Bush Fires
£3,128.70 - Cancer Research UK
£200.00 - Helter Skelter
£200.00 - Diabetes Scotland
£500.00 - James McFarlane School
£500.00 - Shelter Box
£250.00 - Aqua Box 30
£1,100.00 - CHAS
£750.00 - Erskine
£1,740.00 - Rotary Foundation
£300.00 - Ayrshire Hospice
£1,100.00- Ardgowan Hospice
£200.00 - Teenage Cancer Trust
£200.00 - Help for Heros
£200.00 - HollyBush House
£100.00 - Largs BB
£500.00 - AFROX Test Kits
£12,368.70 - Total