PRESIDENT'S CHAT
It’s
that time of
year when the clocks go back, British Summer Time ends and perhaps
we might harbour thoughts of taking it easy or hibernating for the
winter. If you are a Rotarian ‘no such luck’!! We still have a
full programme to look forward to between now and Christmas.
I
have heard a rumour
that when people retire they find themselves so busy they wonder how
they managed to fit in work. That is the case at the moment in our
Kinnoull Club. I hope you are enjoying being busy; it’s what keeps
you young, it keeps the enthusiasm going, and it stops us from going
stale. I hope we never become a club that just ambles along, if
that is the case, being a Rotarian will be a chore not an adventure.
At this time of year some people are SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) they sleep too much and have little energy (Mmmm) I don’t know anyone like that in our Club. I hope to see people who are HAPPY displaying attributes like a :-
- healthy attitude
- able mindedness
- personable
- perception to need
- youthful outlook
We do what we do not just for ourselves but also in a sense of service for others.
Keep up the good work !
Yours in Rotary,Harry
Features
The Big Book Sale
Children ? ---They seem to be older these days .....or maybe I'm geting younger !
The show opened on time on the Saturday. Business was brisk with Tom Laurie doing a great job on the streets, ushering potential buyers in. All the stalls were staffed with a sea of PK sweaters, literally and figuratively. The funds came rolling in. Old ladies, young men and a few literary surprise characters were buying. The comments were encouraging. "What a great idea ! "..." Do you do this every week?" ...We had obviously hit a niche market. There is room out there for a bargain bookshop! Any takers?
The target of £1000 was reached easily and by 4-o'clock we were all tired but happy that it had gone so well. But then the clearing up had to be done as the hall was needed early on Sunday.
Into the boxes the remaining books and videos went and transported to various members' garages they were. Michael took the brunt of it. His garage was left looking like a tip; full of black bags and assorted boxes of books. Like good Rotarians we came to the rescue on Saturday 12th when the books were re-packed tidily and made ready for distribution to various charity shops.
In all a great event thanks to Michael for his organisation and to all the Rotarians who helped and to the Salvation Army whose hall had proven to be the perfect location.
Car boot sale next....?
Ready to go....
...and the last tidy up. !
The Gavel Competition
From Frank
Our second gavel competition saw a strong Kinnoull team of eight travel away to the St Andrews Club ably captained by President Harry.After being warmly welcomed by our hosts i.e. a free drink at the bar, we settled down to the tasks at hand namely putting, dominoes, connect 4 and jenga.
After three rounds both sides were level on points as we entered the final and nail-biting round. Peter as we all know has a steady hand an essential requisite for his dental profession so imagine the scene when he gently removed the penultimate jenga brick from the tower that resulted in victory for this game only.
The Two Johns (Cormack & Steven) putted well with the latter excelling whilst Colin played to his strength at dominoes accompanied by his partner Nick.
Final score 16 points each - result a "DRAW". A great night of fun and fellowship was had by all.
The last of the three competitions took place on October 21st. against Perth St Johns...and what a match! Good fun but tense! Jenga was the highlight, closely followed by Contact 4.
In the end the final game was the cliff-hanger. Colin and Bob did us well and clinched the victory. 17 -15 giving us an overall - Won 2, Drawn 1 position.
Commiserations to St Johns; great rivals, good company and magnanimous losers they were.
John, Gillian - take it seriously ! ....
pictures from Frank
John - take it carefully !
Gordon, Mike - take it thoughtfully!
Colin and Bob - we just take it as it comes!!
News Items
Sep 23rd - Visit Scotland - Patrick O'Shaugnessy
The Scottish Tourist Board was reformed in 1992 when a number of tourist related activities in differing government bodies were regrouped under a new mandate. In 2001 the Board was renamed "VisitScotland", the name that it uses today. Patrick outlined the history and what is being done to promote Scottish tourism in the wider world. His talk was well illustrated, presenting the overall strategy and the day to day activites that support the tourist industry with the aim of increasing its contribution to the Scottish economy. Particular mention was given to the improvment in overall standards of facilities and in service.Sep 30th - Charity Regulations - David Perkins
Charity regulations are a contentious issue and this was evident in the talk given by David. There is no direct report from the meeting but by all acounts the Q&A session was lively! The main questions related to the smaller charities, which find it difficult to fund the higher level of reporting that seems to be required these days. Volunteers are thin on the ground and the new regulations are not welcoming to unpaid volunteeers. David left the meeting with perhaps some thoughts in mind, although to be fair it was not his doing that the regulations were introduced in the first place.Oct 7th - Leprosy - Thamma Salins
Velemegna Hospital, Bidar.
October 21st - A new Member
Harry reads the Rotary ( Act ? ) to Mike,
October 23rd - RIBI President visits Perth
RIBI President Ian Thomson visited the Perth Club on Thursday 23rd. Members of St John and Perth Kinnoull were in attendance at the lunch held at McDiarmid Park. President Ian gave an inspirational speech according to our representative, Janet. George and Julia also attended the lunch.Council Reports
From Vice-President Janet
The Rotary Club of Cwmbran Vale are again having a Christmas Pudding campaign, to help free the world from landmines. ( I'll leave our lively Rotarian minds to make the connection - Ed !! ).
Last year they raised £14,000 and have decided to go to a wider public this year.The Christmas puddings cost £10 each and they send them in cases of 12. The order needs to be made before the end of October so we only have a few days to make up our minds. Please let me know asap. -- Janet.
From John D.
Judging for this years Perth Young Artist competition is once again being held at Strathallan school next Monday 27th October at 6pm. Judges will include Ian Scott, ex Art Adviser for Perth and Kinross and the old Tayside Council and Hugh Goring from Frames Gallery.