June Chatters

2010 News from the Rotary Club of Perth Kinnoull  

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PATTERS

There has hardly been a week this year when I haven't stood before the members and thanked the Club as a whole or a committee or an individual for something. £24,000 in donations is a tremendous achievement for the year: The coffers are not empty and, this has happened in "my year", credit is due to each and every one of you for your efforts in making this happen.

I am grateful to the Convenors and members of the various committees who rose to my challenge to find local, charitable causes which are less well known and who, maybe, don't get the publicity for the work they do, therefore find it more difficult to get funding..I count amongst them Home-Start Perth, Starter Packs Perth, Balnacraig School and Fairview School.

We have certainly achieved joined-up Rotary this year - the Crieff Club who heard the talk from Balnacraig School have helped them out with polytunnels for their gardening. The pupils at Balnacraig have made bird boxes for Fairview while Fairview have helped one of the Balnacraig pupils with work experience in childcare.

I think the Blairgowrie Club, who have a beautiful story board from the Rotary Club of Madang, came to one of our meetings where Laura Carse was our speaker and were equally smitten with her enthusiasm.

I am especially pleased that we were able to participate in Kids Out this year. The highlight for me was being trusted to look after a little boy with hearing, sight and learning difficulties; one of my best cuddles of this year.

 Janet

Editorial

A new year, so to speak. New ideas, new motivations, new committees but old strengths, old relationships and old virtues.  While in America, I was told by several people who viewed our website that they got the impression we were a busy and vibrant club: I think the last year proves as much, and I have enjoyed reporting on everything from the day-to-day issues to the magnificent events and challenges. Your comments and ideas have made the job most enjoyable, so I hope you keep up the support next year and keep giving me the news. I'm not sure that the latest suggestion of a weekly Chatters is something that will happen now but I like the idea. Once I can cope with each month, we'll see. Bon Chance.. 

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Helen, the new JVP, receives the Club Member of the Year award from President Janet 

Standing here, I feel a bit like a football manager building a team for the season ahead

Me ----- I suppose I could be the centre forward leading from the front, or maybe the goalie.

My DEFENDERS ---- committee members Sinclair, Barr, Reid and DuBoulay plus a pool of expertise second to none.

My MIDFIELD ---- convenors Evans, Shedden, Abernethy and Massey

My FORWARDS ---- Brown, MacDonald and Robertson

My TRAINER ----- sporty Ian Stevenson. He'll help us keep fit with the golf ladder, the 3 Club golf match and curling; maybe the Rams Head this year and, possibly, a Bonspiel.

My BACK ROOM STAFF ---- Public relations Eva and Bill, Chatters and Website Greg.

My SOCIAL CLUB MANAGERS ---- MacDougall and Still, I'm sure will come up with some original ideas.

With such a team, we can only succeed. Here's to another successful year but, more importantly, a very enjoyable year.  

Now, I would like to introduce my midfield

Community Service   George Evans 

 International and Foundation   John Sheddon

 Youth and Vocation   Bob Abernethy

 Ways and Means    Mike Massey, subbed by Nick Hine

Fairview School

Walking on the Moon 

Rotary Club of Madang

Laura Carse, who has a sight disability, returned to the Club on the 8th June to present a gift from the people of Madang for our contributions. She gave her usual lively talk covering a wide range of projects taking place in Papua New Guinea through the local Rotary Club.

Laura's enthusiasm for Scotland, as shown

here cutting the haggis at the Madang Rotary Club Burns Night, extends into an equal enthusiasm for the people of the tiny area of Papua New Guinea. She has been involved in creating group projects like a Deaf Olympics for children and a Sing Sing group that encourages traditional song and dance.

Laura also explained the lives of the people that she worked with: The teacher, Desmond Bey, who went blind and now teaches blind children to read, and Ketse Malik who organises the clean water programme with help from Rotary

No resources are left unused. The Rotary container that brought so much to the community now serves the community as a ward for children at Madang Hospital.

Jan Black, Food Garden project in South Africa

The Siyakhana Food Garden is a permaculture project located in the inner city of Johannesburg. , The project functions as a model and demonstration site for other similar initiatives in Gauteng and surrounding provinces. What began as an arid and infertile one-hectare site in Bezuidenhout Park, allotted by Johannesburg City Parks, is now a thriving profusion of nourishment. Adopting the Permaculture approach, the rock-strewn and clay-filled ground was vividly transformed into rich, fertile soil through dedication, time and a great deal of effort. 

The vision is to build a culture of sustainable urban agriculture in South Africa that will provide the wider community and households with healthy food and create a human habitat that is conducive to public and environmental health and productivity.